CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Religious Broadcasting

Robert Key: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners whether the Church of England has made recent representations to broadcasters on trends in levels of religious broadcasting.

Stuart Bell: The Church of England is in regular contact with broadcasters, and the BBC in particular, and seeks to help them retain and develop religious broadcasting. The Bishop of Manchester wrote on the Church's behalf to the Director General of the BBC about recent changes in the Religion and Ethics department and I understand he has received an encouraging response.

Carbon Footprint

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what steps the Church Commissioners are taking to reduce the carbon footprint of their activities.

Nick Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what steps the Church Commissioners are taking to reduce the carbon footprint of their activities.

Stuart Bell: In the last two years the Commissioners have increased from seven to 24 the number of fuel-efficient hybrid-power cars provided to bishops. They also share in the energy-efficiency measures in place at Church House, Westminster including the use of lower-energy heating and lighting systems, and recycling facilities. They are also improving their approach to sustainability in land management.

Church Commissioners: Finance

John Robertson: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what effect the financial situation has had on the investment policy adopted by the Church Commissioners.

Stuart Bell: The Commissioners continue to diversify their portfolio and allocate more capital internationally but the financial situation has not caused them to change their overall policy of holding the majority of their assets in equities and property.
	The financial situation to which my hon. Friend refers is a moving target, however, and I assure him that they keep it under constant review.

Church of England: Finance

Nick Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what proportion of the Church of England's running costs in each of the last three years was met by the Church Commissioners.

Stuart Bell: Around one sixth.

Lambeth Palace

Nick Gibb: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what the cost of  (a) running and  (b) maintaining Lambeth Palace was in each of the last three years.

Stuart Bell: The Commissioners' policy is not to make public the running and maintenance costs of individual bishops' residences.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Electoral Registration

Philip Hollobone: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what the Electoral Commission's most recent estimate is of  (a) the number of non-British EU citizens who are registered to vote in the United Kingdom and  (b) the number of non-British EU citizens who are wrongly registered to vote as British citizens.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that figures from the Office for National Statistics show that 961,681 non-British EU citizens were registered to vote in the United Kingdom as of 1 December 2008. This figure does not include EU citizens from the Republic of Ireland, Malta or Cyprus.
	The Commission further informs me that no estimate has been made of the number of non-British EU citizens who are wrongly registered to vote as British citizens. All applicants are required to state their nationality on the registration form and electoral registration officers can request evidence as to nationality.

Fraud

Bob Spink: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what assessment the Electoral Commission has made of the likelihood of fraud in the 2009 European Parliament elections.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it has issued detailed guidance to police and returning officers, jointly with the Association of Chief Police Officers, on assessing the risk of electoral malpractice at elections.
	It is the operational responsibility of returning officers and the police to assess the risk of electoral malpractice at specific elections, including the 2009 European parliamentary elections.

TRANSPORT

Driving Tests: Motorcycles

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many sites were available to run module one of the new motorcycle test on 27 April 2009 of each type in each region.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following table provides the information on operational sites for the new module one motorcycling test on 27 April.
	
		
			   Operational multi purpose test centres  VOSA sites (weekend)  Casual  hire sites 
			 South West 6 4  
			 London and South East 6 4 1 
			 East Anglia 5   
			 East Midlands 5  1 
			 West Midlands 3 1 1 
			 Yorks and Humberside 3 2 1 
			 North East 2   
			 North West 5 2 1 
			 Wales 3   
			 Scotland 6 3 1 
			 Total 44 16 6

Driving: Elderly

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many fatal road traffic accidents were caused by drivers aged  (a) 70 to 79,  (b) 80 to 89 and  (c) over 89 years old in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 22 January 2009,  Official Report, column 1575W.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward proposals to amend regulations for vehicle excise duty (VED) refund applications to prevent VED refund claims being made by a vehicle seller before the new registered keeper's details have been updated by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The 2008 Finance Act introduced changes to ensure that refunds of vehicle excise duty (VED) are available only in specific circumstances. As these changes only came into effect on 1 January 2009, no further changes are currently planned.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what reports he has received of allegations of the fraudulent use of V5C forms with serial numbers between  (a) BG8229501 and BG9999030 and  (b) BI2305501 and BI2800000;
	(2)  how many V5C forms with serial numbers between  (a) BG8229501 and BG9999030 and  (b) BI2305501 and BI2800000 have been misplaced by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency or its contractors.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 5 May 2009
	The precise circumstances surrounding the theft of vehicle registration certificates (V5C) falling within the serial number ranges quoted are the subject of an ongoing police investigation.
	The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is aware of 1,163 V5C documents within this range that have been stolen and used fraudulently.
	DVLA took practical steps to alert the public to the situation, issuing a series of national press releases leading to advice appearing in various national publications.

Railways: South East

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many rail services Southeastern Railway has cancelled in the last 12 months.

Paul Clark: In the year to 31 March 2009, London and South Eastern Railway cancelled 7,326 trains. This is 1.2 per cent. of the number of trains that they planned to operate.

Roads: Safety

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road traffic accidents involving Trief kerbs have been recorded in the last 12 months.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is not collected.

Roads: South West

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of central Government funding for road improvements in each local authority area in the South West region.

Paul Clark: Local major schemes, including road improvements, costing over £5 million need to be identified by the respective region for funding within its regional funding allocation. This funding is based on a formula which reflects the population of the specific region.
	In addition to funds for specific major schemes, the Department for Transport also allocates integrated transport block and highways maintenance funding to local transport authorities for general capital investment in transport for schemes costing under £5 million. This funding is not ring-fenced and local authorities have discretion to spend their allocations in line with their priorities.

Speed Limits: Safety

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect on road safety of a reduction of the 60mph speed limit to 50mph.

Jim Fitzpatrick: On 21 April, the Department for Transport published a consultation paper, 'A Safer Way: Consultation on Making Britain's Roads the Safest in the World'.
	This paper highlighted the high casualty rates on rural roads, which carry 40 per cent. of traffic, but account for 62 per cent. of road deaths. Of particular concern are rural single carriageways. In the document we propose to publish stronger guidance on these roads and to provide information annually to highway authorities about the most dangerous roads. It will be for individual highway authorities to consider reducing speed limits.
	The consultation proposals and background research can be found at:
	www.dft.gov.uk/roadsafetyconsultation

Transport: Local Government

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to assess the transport infrastructure needs of local authorities with Growth Point status; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure sufficient funding is provided to meet those needs.

Paul Clark: In 2008, Department for Transport officials collaborated with colleagues in Communities and Local Government and regional Government Offices to set up an information management structure for the infrastructure requirements of new growth points and growth areas. That structure is now in place and provides the framework for the Department's continuing efforts to understand and offer assistance to overcome the transport challenges faced by growth point authorities. The Department has recognised the importance of streamlining mainstream funding with the needs of housing growth, and encouraging regions to do the same: up to 2014, most of the schemes in the national roads programme and over half of the regional funding allocation pot go some way towards supporting housing growth. In addition, the Department has sought to maximise the capacity of the community infrastructure fund, which is dedicated to supporting housing growth.

Vehicle and Operator Services Agency: Expenditure

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much of the funding for 2008 for Vehicle and Operator Services Agency testing services announced on 30 July 2008 the Agency spent in 2008.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The funding announced on 30 July relates to the provision of loan funding from the Department for Transport, which is to be repaid with interest. A loan of £20 million has been received which has been spent in the 2008-09 financial year.

JUSTICE

Administration of Justice

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress has been made on national implementation of his Department's Simple Speedy Summary Justice programme.

Bridget Prentice: Following the publication of Delivering Simple Speedy Summary Justice in July 2006, the Criminal Justice Simple, Speedy, Summary programme was implemented in all magistrates court across England and Wales by March 2008. Since implementation the estimated average time from charge to disposal in the magistrates courts for adult charged cases (excluding committals) has dropped from 61 days in the year to March 2007 to 48 days in December 2008 and the average number of hearings has reduced by around 20 per cent. Following the success of this project, Her Majesty's Courts Service has now implemented a similar programme for youth cases where the estimated average time from charge to disposal for youth cases has dropped from 52 to 40 days (over the same time period).

Courts: Video Conferencing

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the  (a) efficiency savings and  (b) savings in time for (i) police officers and (ii) others arising from the virtual court pilot at Camberwell Green; when he plans to initiate the second pilot site in north Kent; whether a timetable has been established for the national implementation of virtual courts; and when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to amend the law on the right of the defendant to consent to attendance at a virtual court.

Bridget Prentice: A business case for virtual courts was developed based on the experience of the prototype run in London in 2007. This suggested that a pilot linking Camberwell Green magistrates court and 15 police stations could yield benefits of £2.2 million per annum for the Metropolitan Police, National Offender Management Service and Crown Prosecution Service. This includes efficiency savings (for example reduced prisoner transport costs) and savings in staff time for police officers and other staff in the criminal justice system.
	The costs and benefits of virtual courts will be tested fully in further pilots which are due to commence at the first sites in London later this month and last for 12 months. The pilot in North Kent is due to commence at the end of June 2009.
	No timetable has been established for the national roll out of virtual courts. The pilots will be evaluated thoroughly and the findings will inform decisions on wider roll-out.
	The Coroners and Justice Bill currently before Parliament contains provisions removing the requirement for defendant consent to participate in virtual courts.

Crown Dependencies

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many British citizens have taken up residence in  (a) Guernsey,  (b) Jersey and  (c) the Isle of Man in the last five years.

Michael Wills: The information sought is not held in the form requested. The following details have been obtained from the Governments of Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man.
	 (a) Guernsey does not hold any accurate data on the subject.
	 (b) Jersey does not collect information on the nationality of persons who choose to take up residence.
	 (c) In the Isle of Man, the 2006 census recorded that 7,406 British citizens who were not born in the Isle of Man came to the island to live between 2001 and 2006 and were still living on the island on census day.

Crown Dependencies

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many British citizens have taken up residence in Alderney and Sark in the last five years.

Michael Wills: The information sought is not held in the form requested. Details were sought from the Governments of Alderney and Sark but such information is not collected by the islands.

Crown Dependencies: Microgeneration

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice in which Crown Dependencies micro-generation electricity production schemes are in operation.

Michael Wills: The Crown Dependencies are self governing dependencies of the Crown and responsible for their own internal affairs, including the generation of electricity. While this is not a matter in which the Ministry of Justice is involved we understand that the Isle of Man has a small hydro generation facility and that Guernsey and Jersey do not currently run such schemes.

Crown Dependencies: Renewable Energy

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much electricity is generated from renewable resources in each of the Crown Dependencies.

Michael Wills: The Crown Dependencies are self governing dependencies of the Crown and have their own directly elected legislative assemblies, administrative, fiscal and legal systems. The Ministry of Justice does not keep information on the amount of electricity generated from renewable resources in the Crown Dependencies.

Crown Dependencies: Tourism

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of  (a) Guernsey's and  (b) Jersey's gross domestic product was generated by the tourism sector in each of the last five years.

Michael Wills: The information sought is not held in the form requested, but the following details have been obtained from the Governments of Guernsey and Jersey.
	 (a) Guernsey does not hold specific figures on the contribution of "tourism" to gross domestic product, nor any figures that take multiplier effects into account. However, the percentage of gross domestic product generated by the hostelry and recreation sectors is regarded as a good representation of the contribution of tourism to GDP. The percentages for the last five years for which figures are available are:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 2003 4.84 
			 2004 4.58 
			 2005 4.51 
			 2006 4.22 
			 2007 4.19 
		
	
	 (b) Jersey does not measure its economy in terms of gross domestic product but of gross value added (GVA). There is no accurate data available on the contribution of the "tourism sector".

Departmental Air Conditioning

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of his Department's buildings are equipped with air conditioning systems with greater than 250kW of output; how many of these systems have been inspected under the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each inspection report.

Maria Eagle: The number of departmental buildings we currently have information for that are equipped with air conditioning systems with greater than 250kW of output is 37 and the number of these systems that have been inspected under the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 is 35. We are still gathering information for Her Majesty's Prison Service, HMCS and Ministry of Justice HQ Core Estate. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as this information is received. To place copies of inspection reports in the Library would incur disproportionate cost as the Ministry of Justice has responsibility for over 100 buildings.

Drugs: Sentencing

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average length of sentence for those sentenced to immediate custody for possession of cannabis was in each year since 1997.

Maria Eagle: The available information is shown in the following table. Figures for year 2008 will be available towards the end of 2009.
	
		
			  Average custodial sentence length of offenders sentenced to immediate custody for possession( 1)  of cannabis, 1997 to 2007 
			   Average custodial sentence length (months) 
			 1997 4.5 
			 1998 4.2 
			 1999 3.2 
			 2000 3.1 
			 2001 3.5 
			 2002 3.4 
			 2003 4.0 
			 2004 3.8 
			 2005 4.0 
			 2006 2.8 
			 2007 3.8 
			 (1) Having possession of a controlled drug (cannabis) under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 sec 5(2) [Class 'C' drug] as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 Sec 157. Cannabis use to be classified as class 'B' before it was reclassified as class 'C' in 29 January 2004.  Notes: The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  Source: OMS Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice

Jersey

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the purpose was of the visit by Ministers of his Department to Jersey on 17 April; whom Ministers met during that visit; and what matters were discussed at those meetings.

Michael Wills: My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Lord Bach) visited Jersey on 17 April. This was his first visit since being appointed Minister with responsibility for the Crown Dependencies and an opportunity to meet key figures in the Government of Jersey. He met the Chief Minister, Deputy Minister, Bailiff and Deputy Bailiff. The matters for discussion included the G20 summit, Tax Information Exchange Agreements, the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill, and the Health Foods and Medicines Directives.

Jersey: Dietary Supplements

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his most recent information is on the likely timetable for the implementation by Jersey of  (a) the EU Food Supplements Directive and  (b) the EU Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation.

Michael Wills: Our most recent information on these matters is as follows:
	Jersey Health Protection is continuing to work on law drafting instructions, for the Food Supplements Directive and the Nutrition and Health Claims Regulations although law drafting time has yet to be allocated in the legislation programme.
	The Ministry of Justice will continue to work with Jersey to progress the implementation of these two matters.

Land Registry: Fraud

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent steps his Department has taken to prevent the unauthorised amendment for the purposes of fraud of house ownership information on the HM Land Registry website.

Michael Wills: It is not possible for an amendment to be made to the register of title through Land Registry's website. The Find a Property service, formerly known as Land Register Online, which is available through the website only allows users to view or obtain information, for example, a copy of the register for a particular property. This information is also available to any person who applies to Land Registry by post or in person. The Land Register has been open to the public since 1990.
	Land Registry views registration fraud very seriously. It has had a number of measures to help combat fraud in place for some time, including identity verification for the parties to registration applications and service of notice on property owners in certain circumstances. It also constantly keeps its anti-fraud strategy under review and changes its procedures as appropriate to meet developing threats.

Legal Advice and Assistance: Travelling People

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 12 March 2009,  Official Report, column 667W, on legal advice and assistance: travelling people, what the location of each planning application handled by each local authority was; and whether the representation was in relation to  (a) a new planning application,  (b) retrospective planning permission,  (c) planning enforcement and  (d) another matter;
	(2)  what the  (a) type of planning inquiry and  (b) location of each development was in respect of each case in which funding was provided.

Shahid Malik: The Ministry of Justice does not record the locations involved in legal aid applications for representation at planning inquiries as a matter of course. It is possible that by giving details of those locations, the identities of individual legal aid clients would be revealed. As these are personal data, they are not routinely disclosed.
	Applications for exceptional funding for legal representation at planning inquiries usually concern an appeal against a local authority's rejection of an application for planning permission and may also pertain to enforcement. MOJ does not record applications for exceptional funding for planning inquiries by any sub-categories.

Legal Advice and Assistance: Travelling People

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 12 March 2009,  Official Report, column 667W, on legal advice and assistance: travelling people, what the cost to the public purse of the grant through the exceptional funding scheme was.

Shahid Malik: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 2 February 2009,  Official Report, column 917W.
	The total cost of exceptional funding grants to Travellers in the financial year 2008-09 remains the same as the amount stated in my earlier answer, as no further grants were made before the end of the financial year.

Legal Advice and Assistance: Travelling People

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 12 March 2009,  Official Report, column 667W, on legal advice and assistance: travelling people, how much grant funding was given in each case.

Shahid Malik: The grant of funding in each case was:
	
		
			  Financial year 2007-08 
			   £ 
			 Tunbridge Wells County Council 2,114.50 
			 Basildon District Council 1,614.50 
			 North Somerset Council 2,317.40 
			 North Somerset Council 2,214.68 
			 Tandridge District Council 1,897.04 
			 Dartford Borough Council 1,614.70 
			 South Staffordshire District Council 1,267.87 
			 Surrey Heath Borough Council 2,264.50 
			 London Borough of Bromley 1,635.56 
			 Bath and North East Somerset Council 4,127.93 
			 Wyre Forest District Council 2,114.00 
			 Lewes District Council 2,468.75 
			 South Somerset District Council 1,897.04 
			 South Gloucester Council(1) 2,011.60 
			 Wealden District Council(1) 2,321.65 
			 Wealden District Council(1) 1,614.50 
			 Total 33,496.22 
			 (1) The names of these authorities have been confirmed since the initial question was answered. 
		
	
	
		
			  Financial year 2008-09 
			   £ 
			 Mid Devon District Council 2,021.08 
			 Rother District Council 1,614.50 
			 Chichester District Council 1,309.53 
			 Canterbury City Council 2,508.00 
			 Kent County Council 2,114.50 
			 Bedford Borough Council 1,614.50 
			 Lewes District Council 1,057.25 
			 Ashford Borough Council 1,719.33 
			 Total 13,958.69 
		
	
	The total cost of exceptional funding grants to Travellers in the financial year 2008-09 remains the same as the amount stated in my initial answer, as no further grants were made before the end of the financial year.
	The final amounts paid may have varied slightly from the figures aforementioned as the Legal Services Commission can adjust the grant if necessary (for example if the hearing is longer, or shorter, than expected).

Legal Aid: Expenditure

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department and its predecessor spent on legal aid in  (a) England,  (b) the South West,  (c) Devon and  (d) East Devon constituency in each of the last 10 years.

Shahid Malik: Figures for  (a) and  (b) are only readily available for the last seven years. These are shown in the following table. Figures for  (c) and  (d) could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The data come from several databases some of which do not go down to the level of detail requested. Manual extraction of the data would take several days.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   England  South West 
			 2001-02 1,628 122 
			 2002-03 1,863 138 
			 2003-04 2,035 146 
			 2004-05 1,978 157 
			 2005-06 1,953 145 
			 2006-07 1,882 135 
			 2007-08 1,929 132 
			  Note:  Small elements of expenditure which cannot be split regionally (e.g. CDS Direct) have been excluded.

Legal Aid: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department and its predecessor spent on legal aid in  (a) Hemel Hempstead and  (b) Hertfordshire in each of the last 10 years.

Shahid Malik: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The data come from several databases some of which do not go down to the level of detail requested. Manual extraction of the data would take several days.

Victim Support: Finance

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much funding from his Department has been allocated to the organisation Victim Support in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: Victim Support has received an annual grant of £30 million from the Ministry of Justice in each of the past five years.
	In addition Victim Support received £5.6 million in 2007-8 and £7 million in 2008-9 to finance Victim Support Plus.

Youth Justice

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what impact assessment was made of  (a) the decision to reduce the number of places contracted for custodial places in local authority secure children's homes and  (b) the allocation of £20 million for development or redevelopment of new young offender institutions for juveniles.

Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to reply.
	The decision to reduce the number of secure children's home places for which the Youth Justice Board (YJB) contracts was taken following a comprehensive analysis by the YJB of recent data, which showed that the optimum number of secure children's home places that should be contracted for was 191. The YJB is confident that this number will meet future levels of demand.
	The allocation of £20 million of capital provision in 2008-09 for the development or redevelopment of young offender institutions (YOIs) was not directly related to the decision about the award of contracts to secure children's homes. For the most part, secure children's homes and YOIs cater for different age groups within the under-18 custodial population. The £20 million has been used by the YJB to develop and improve facilities at a number of YOIs. Capital investment in secure children's home is the responsibility of the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

HEALTH

Alcoholic Drinks: Children

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many under 14 year olds were treated for alcohol-related health problems in each county in the East of England region in the last 12 months.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested on the number of 14-year-olds treated for alcohol-related health problems in each county in the east of England region in the last 12 months is not held centrally. However, the number of admissions of patients under 14 and resident in east of England with an alcohol-related condition in 2007-08 (the latest 12-month period for which data are available) is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of admissions of patients under 14 and resident in east of England with an alcohol related condition in 2007-08 
			  County  Number 
			 Peterborough * 
			 Luton * 
			 Southend-on-Sea * 
			 Thurrock * 
			 Bedfordshire * 
			 Cambridgeshire 6 
			 Essex 17 
			 Hertfordshire 18 
			 Norfolk * 
			 Suffolk 14 
			 East of England total 72 
			  Notes: 1. The data are for residents of the East of England, rather than patients treated in the east of England. 2. Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed). 3. To protect patient confidentiality, figures between one and five have been suppressed and replaced with '*'. Where it was possible to identify numbers from the total due to a single suppressed number in a row or column, an additional number (the next smallest) has been suppressed. 4. The number of alcohol-related admissions is based on the methodology developed by the North West Public Health Observatory. Figures for under 16s only include admissions where one or more of the following alcohol-specific conditions were listed: alcoholic cardiomyopathy (142.6); alcoholic gastritis (K29.2); alcoholic liver disease (K70); alcoholic myopathy (G72.1); alcoholic polyneuropathy (G62.1); alcohol-induced pseudo-Cushing's syndrome (E24.4); chronic pancreatitis (alcohol induced) (K86.0); degeneration of nervous system due to alcohol (G31.2); mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol (F10); accidental poisoning by and exposure to alcohol (X45); ethanol poisoning (T51.0); methanol poisoning (T51.1); and toxic effect of alcohol, unspecified (T51.9). 5. These figures represent the number of episodes where an alcohol-related diagnosis was recorded in any of the 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) primary and secondary diagnosis fields in an HES record. Each episode is only counted once in each count, even if an alcohol-related diagnosis is recorded in more than one diagnosis field of the record. 6. The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the HES dataset and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital. 7. As well as the primary diagnosis, there are up to 19 (13 from 2002-03 to 2007-08 and six prior to 2002-03) secondary diagnosis fields in HES that show other diagnoses relevant to the episode of care. 8. A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. Finished admission episodes are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. 9. Years are assigned by the end of the first period of care in a patient's hospital stay. 10. HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. The quality and coverage of the data have improved over time. These improvements in information submitted by the national health service have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. Some of the increase in figures for later years (particularly 2006-07 onwards) may be due to the improvement in the coverage of independent sector activity. Changes in NHS practice also need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. For example, a number of procedures may now be undertaken in out-patient settings and may no longer be accounted for in the HES data. This may account for any reductions in activity over time.  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Information Centre for health and social care

Appendicitis

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people were treated for a ruptured appendix in each hospital trust in England in the most recent year for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many people were treated for a ruptured appendix in hospital in England in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: Information on treatment for ruptured appendices, specifically, is not collected centrally.
	However, we can supply figures for finished admission episodes with a primary diagnosis of 'acute appendicitis with generalized peritonitis'. This includes perforation, peritonitis (generalized), and rupture.
	A table containing these data has been placed in the Library.

Cannabis: Children

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children under the age of 16 years sought treatment for cannabis use in  (a) England,  (b) the East of England and  (c) Suffolk in the last 12 months.

Dawn Primarolo: Data on those seeking treatment for drug use are not collected centrally. Data on those in treatment are collected and the following table gives figures for under 16-year-olds in treatment for cannabis, both for primary and adjunctive use, for England, the east of England and Suffolk. These figures are based on data for 2007-08, the most recent period for which data are available.
	
		
			   Primary  Adjunctive 
			 England 6,075 2,075 
			 East of England 380 116 
			 Suffolk 52 21 
			  Notes: 1. If a client starts the year already in treatment, age is taken at 1 April, if they begin treatment during the year, age is taken at triage. 2. Figures are provided for primary use (the substance that brought the client into treatment) and adjunctive use (a substance additional to the primary drug used by the client).

Carbon Monoxide: Departmental Responsibilities

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 28 April 2009,  Official Report, column 1232W, on carbon monoxide: departmental co-ordination, 
	(1)  whether Ministers from his Department attended the Health and Safety Executive-led Officials Group on Gas Safety and Carbon Monoxide Awareness on 5 September 2007; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether Ministers took part in meetings on carbon monoxide took place in the three years to September 2007.

Dawn Primarolo: No Ministers attended the meeting of the Health and Safety Executive-led Officials Group on Gas Safety and Carbon Monoxide (CO) Awareness on 5 September 2007.
	There was one meeting of the Ministerial Group on Gas Safety and CO Awareness. This took place on 14 June 2007.

Departmental Temporary Employment

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff on temporary contracts are employed at his Department's offices at Richmond House; and what entitlement such staff have to  (a) sick and  (b) holiday pay.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department uses the Home Office Framework set up by the Home Office to engage temporary agency staff. This is used by several other Government Departments as well as Health.
	The numbers of workers on temporary contracts requested for Richmond House are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Person type  Total full-time equivalents 
			 Agency worker 52.1 
			 Consultant 4.1 
			 Contractor 4.0 
			 Total 60.1 
		
	
	This is based on data as at 31 March 2009 from the Department's Business Management System.
	The relevant temporary staff agencies are responsible for managing their staff's sick leave and annual leave entitlements and not the contracting authority, in this instance the Department.
	The provision of non-permanent staff as specialist contractors is under tax exemption IR35 and as such the contractors are deemed to be self-employed. The Work Time Regulations do not apply, there is no holiday entitlement outside of public holidays and the contract is therefore silent on this matter.

Health Services

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the proportion of the NHS budget which was allocated to services for those over the age of 60 years in the last 12 months.

Ben Bradshaw: Information on actual expenditure by age group is not available. Further, primary care trusts' (PCTs) allocations are not broken down by age or on any other basis: there is no ring fencing of funding for individual groups.
	The weighted capitation formula determines the target funding allocations of PCTs and takes account of the higher cost of providing health care services for those in the older age groups. The formula takes account also of the need for health care services due to the health status and socio-economic characteristics of each PCT's population. Actual allocations depend also on pace-of-change policy: how quickly PCTs are moved towards their target allocation through the distribution of additional funding.
	The Hospital and Community Health Services component of the formula for 2009-10 and 2010-11 accounts for 76 per cent. of the total target allocation. An estimated 54 per cent. of this component is accounted for by those aged 60 and over, who make up 22 per cent. of the population. The formula is derived using data on actual costs from 2004-05 and 2005-06.
	Information for the age group 60 and over is not available for other components of the formula or for the target allocations used to inform PCT allocations in 2008-09.
	Further information about the application of weighted capitation formula can be found in "Resource Allocation: Weighted Capitation Formula (Sixth Edition)", a copy of which has already been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria his Department's Rapid Review Panel uses in judging the suitability of products intended for use in the NHS.

Ann Keen: The Rapid Review Panel (RRP) provides the Department with prompt assessment of new and novel products or protocols designed to reduce healthcare associated infections (HCAI). Prior to submission for assessment by the RRP, a new product or process must fulfil certain criteria, and the application form should contain the following information:
	contact details of the manufacturer;
	product/process name and date of release;
	where the product/process is marketed;
	how it will contribute to reducing HCAIs;
	in what respect it is innovative/new;
	the mechanism of action;
	the in vitro activity of the product;
	evidence of the product's impact on HCAIs;
	references;
	proof of risk and safety assessment; and
	authorization.
	Following initial scrutiny products are reviewed on a case-by-case basis on the information presented by the applicant. The focus of the panel's review is on the on the products clinical effectiveness and its impact in combating healthcare associated infections. Each product submitted may receive one of the following recommendations:
	basic research and development, validation and recent in use evaluations have shown benefits that should be available to national health service bodies to include as appropriate in their cleaning, hygiene or infection control protocols;
	basic research and development has been completed and the product may have potential value; in use evaluations/trials are now needed in an NHS clinical setting;
	a potentially useful new concept but insufficiently validated; more research and development is required before it is ready for evaluation in practice;
	not a significant improvement on equipment/materials/products already available which claim to contribute to reducing health care associated infection; no further consideration needed;
	unlikely to contribute to the reduction of health care associated infection; no further consideration needed;
	insufficient clarity/evidence presented to enable full review of the product;
	an already well established product that does not merit further consideration by the panel; or
	the product is not sufficiently related to infection control procedures to merit consideration by the panel.
	These recommendations are available on the Health Protection Agency website at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/webw/HPAweb&HPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1200055729551?p=1158313434380

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has for data to be collected in future on waiting times for hospital treatment in order to monitor the performance of NHS trusts; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department collects a range of waiting times returns to monitor national health service waiting times performance against its published operational standards as set out in the NHS Operating Framework for 2009-10 and in the handbook to the NHS Constitution. Both publications have already been placed in the Library.
	These returns cover referral to treatment (RTT), inpatient and outpatient stage of treatment waiting times, diagnostics, accident and emergency, coronary heart disease and genito-urinary medicine. In addition the cancer national database is used to monitor progress on cancer waits.
	All these returns are kept under regular review.

In Vitro Fertilisation: Standards

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the extent to which assisted fertility centres are following guidance from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority on witnessing clinical and laboratory practices during in vitro fertilisation treatment; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Code of Practice published by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) sets out requirements that must be met by providers of treatment services regulated under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, such as in vitro fertilisation (IVF). These requirements include procedures for witnessing critical stages of a treatment cycle. In the case of witnessing, the existing requirements were drawn up in 2006, based on external expert advice, and were incorporated into the Code of Practice in 2007.
	All HFEA licensed centres are required to witness the critical points of the clinical and laboratory processes involved in IVF. Compliance with this requirement is one of the key areas examined during a HFEA inspection visit to a licensed centre. Any breach of the licence condition relating to witnessing and/or non-compliance with HFEA guidance on witnessing is documented in the report of the inspection visit. This report is then considered by a Licence Committee of the authority. It is the responsibility of the Licence Committee to decide whether any regulatory action should be taken.
	In addition, all licensed centres are required to report any adverse incident that relates to the witnessing of clinical and laboratory practices. These incidents are reviewed and followed up either by means of a further inspection or an investigation.

Influenza

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what research his Department has conducted into the use of antimicrobial products for the purpose of preventing the spread of influenza viruses; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will make it his policy to encourage the use of antimicrobial products for the purpose of preventing the spread of influenza viruses; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department has not commissioned research into the use of antimicrobial products, as there is already scientific evidence to show that influenza viruses are readily deactivated by washing with soap and water or alcohol hand-rub and by cleaning surfaces with normal cleaning agents.
	The Department continues to advise the public of the importance of good respiratory and hand hygiene to minimise the risk of influenza transmission.

Members: Correspondence

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Brentford and Isleworth (Ann Keen) plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Altrincham and Sale West of 8 September 2008.

Dawn Primarolo: A reply was issued to the hon. Member on 7 October 2008.

NHS: Assets

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much land each NHS organisation indicated in its estates return it expected to have available for disposal in  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11;
	(2)  what information each NHS organisation submitted in its estates return on its anticipated receipts from net land and property disposal in 2007-08.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
	This information was provided by national health service trusts through the annual Estates Returns Information Collection (ERIC) 2007-08 returns. The data are correct as at 31 March 2008. There is a possibility that the situation has changed since then.
	The information is collected on a compulsory basis from NHS trusts, except foundation trusts who can provide the data on a non-compulsory basis if they wish. The information has been supplied by the NHS and has not been amended centrally. The accuracy and completeness of the information is the responsibility of the provider organisation.

NHS: Assets

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much each NHS organisation received in net land and property disposal receipts in each year since 2002-03, according to data from estates return information collection (ERIC) returns; and what the ERIC code for each organisation was in each year.

Ben Bradshaw: The information is not available in the format requested.
	Since 2004-05, the Department has collected annual data from national health service trusts on the amount received in land and property disposal receipts within the reporting year, through the Estates Returns Information Collection (ERIC). The available data for each year since 2004-05 have been placed in the Library.
	The information is collected on a compulsory basis from NHS trusts in England, including Foundation trusts. The information has been supplied by the NHS and has not been amended centrally. The accuracy and completeness of the information is the responsibility of the provider organisation.

NHS: Information and Communications Technology

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria his Department uses to accredit systems for the Additional Supply Capability and Capacity Framework; and which suppliers and systems have been accredited.

Ben Bradshaw: Suppliers' systems were not "accredited" as a part of the Additional Supply Capability and Capacity Framework (ASCC) framework procurement. The purpose of the procurement was to create a framework of suppliers with demonstrated capacity and capability in various specialisms. Subsequently, on identification of a business need, each national health service procuring body will specify its particular requirements to suppliers in the most appropriate service category. It will be for suppliers to demonstrate how they can meet this need against the procurements' specific evaluation criteria. Those suppliers included on the ASCC framework may be found by utilising the following link:
	www.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk/industry/ascc
	A copy of the relevant lists of supplier has been placed in the Library.

NHS: Information and Communications Technology

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the contracts for information systems procured by trusts through the Additional Supply Capability and Capacity Framework (ASCCF) are held centrally in his Department; whether the cost of local specification for systems obtained by trusts through the ASCCF will be met centrally by the Department; and whether this capital is to be taken from the original budget for the National Programme for IT.

Ben Bradshaw: The Additional Supply Capability and Capacity Framework contracts are held and is managed centrally in the Department by NHS Connecting for Health. They provide for other contracting authorities, such as individual trusts, to procure systems and services for themselves utilising the framework. Funding for specific requirements is always determined on a case-by-case basis and no final decisions have been taken as to the funding arrangements, including the utilisation of existing budgets.

NHS: Information and Communications Technology

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the agreed costs of each information system in the Additional Supply Capability and Capacity Framework (ASCCF) are; and by what process trusts in the Southern cluster of the National Programme for IT who are not managed by BT procure systems from the ASCCF;
	(2)  how many sites in the Southern cluster of the National Programme for IT have been granted permission to choose a system through the Additional Supply Capability and Capacity Framework.

Ben Bradshaw: The Additional Supply Capability and Capacity Framework (ASCCF) does not specify agreed system costs as it is not possible to know in advance the particular requirements that national health service organisations seeking to use the framework will have. Instead the ASCC framework includes provisions that cap the profit margin, man-day rates, and overhead rates that may be charged by suppliers. The framework is available for use by any NHS organisation. However, the details of the central procurement arrangements for delivery of the national programme for information technology in the South for those not serviced by the BT contract will be announced in due course.

NHS: Information and Communications Technology

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 21 April 2009,  Official Report, column 583W, on NHS: information and communications technology, what percentage of the £92.8 million paid to BT as working capital for the National Programme for IT's Southern cluster will be deducted from the amount paid to the company upon delivery of the systems for which it is contracted.

Ben Bradshaw: All of it.

Nutrition

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will give consideration to the recommendations of the report by the British Medical Association on Early Life Nutrition in implementing the joint strategy on children and young people's health;
	(2)  if he will take steps to improve public awareness of the effect on foetal development and long-term health of a variation in diet and nutrition of  (a) pregnant women and  (b) babies.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department is aware of the British Medical Association's (BMA) report and has noted their recommendations. The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) have been asked to review evidence on the influence of maternal, fetal and child nutrition status, including growth and development in utero and early childhood, on the development of disease later in life.
	In taking this work forward, the committee is considering the evidence around maternal, fetal and early life factors, including infant diet and growth, and are also considering the BMA report. SACN aims to publish their final report later this year.

Palliative Care: Children

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the number of children receiving long-term ventilation  (a) in hospital,  (b) in their own homes,  (c) in residential care and  (d) elsewhere.

Phil Hope: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Pharmacy

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms his Department plans to put in place to ensure that primary care trusts considering a new pharmacy application take account of competition and choice, as referred to in the Pharmacy White Paper; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: Subject to parliamentary approval, clause 24 of the Health Bill amends the NHS Act 2006 to replace the current market entry test so that primary care trusts (PCTs) will in future determine whether a new prospective provider will be admitted to a PCT's pharmaceutical list (or an existing listing can be amended) by reference to and determined against its pharmaceutical needs assessment. Regulations will in due course set out the detailed requirements of what must be contained in those assessments and may also prescribe matters which a PCT must consider when making a decision on an application.
	When we consulted on these measures last autumn in "Pharmacy in England: Building on strengths—delivering the future—proposals for legislative change", a copy of which has already been placed in the Library, we proposed to carry forward a number of factors introduced in the 2005 regulations, which help PCTs reach their decisions. These factors include the choice and diversity of providers or of services.
	We expect to work closely with stakeholders and will take account of observations in a recent court appeal case when drafting these regulations.

Pharmacy

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what opportunities pharmacists working in  (a) academia,  (b) industry and  (c) other areas, other than general practice, will have to register with the General Pharmacy Council under his Department's proposals for a draft Pharmacy Order 2009; whether his Department's proposals will allow retired pharmacists to be able to describe themselves as such; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: Ministers will shortly be publishing the formal response to the consultation on the draft Pharmacy Order 2009, which will include registration criteria for all pharmacists in Great Britain. There is nothing in the draft Pharmacy Order 2009 that would prevent a person from describing themselves as a "retired pharmacist".

Pregnancy: Health Education

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ensure that the Change 4 Life public awareness campaign includes information for young women about the importance of health and well-being before pregnancy with regard to  (a) diet,  (b) optimal body weight,  (c) smoking and  (d) alcohol consumption.

Dawn Primarolo: The Change4Life campaign seeks to address the rising tide of obesity in England through marketing communications about diet and activity that address the target groups of families having at least one child under the age of 11. The priority groups for 2009-10 include pregnant women, families with children under the age of two, and 'at risk' families, those whose current behaviours and/or attitudes suggest that their children are most at risk of weight gain.
	Change4Life currently provides information about diet and activity-related behaviours only (not smoking or alcohol consumption), and as this is a prevention campaign, it focuses on how these behaviours relate to children, i.e. what and how children eat, and how much they are physically active. The Change4Life campaign does not, therefore, currently target adults about their own diet and activity behaviours, rather it targets adults who are parents, about their children. It does not currently target adults who do not have children, or those planning a pregnancy.
	However, the Department will consider the feasibility of communicating to those planning a pregnancy when it develops plans for a pregnancy-specific strand of the Change4Life campaign later this year.
	With regards to tobacco and alcohol, there have been campaigns this year that have targeted pregnant women, as follows:
	 Smoking
	an NHS Smokefree campaign targeting pregnant smokers launched in February 2009. Initial results show a 196 per cent. increase in calls against February 2008. Further information can be found at:
	www.smokefree.nhs.uk/smoking-and-pregnancy/
	The campaign aims to raise awareness of the dangers of smoking and the immediate benefits of becoming smokefree for pregnant women and their babies, offers telephone stop smoking support and new resources.
	The campaign focused on women already pregnant, rather than those trying to conceive. However, relevant information for those trying to conceive is included on the NHS Choices website at:
	www.nhs.uk/chq/pages/2319.aspx
	 Alcohol consumption
	A national campaign to improve the public's understanding of units of alcohol was launched in May 2008, featuring two phases. Phase 1 focused on improving peoples knowledge of how many units of alcohol are in the alcoholic drinks they consume, while phase 2 focused on improving people's understanding of the link between their alcohol consumption and their health;
	the second phase of the campaign included targeting people who were trying to conceive and pregnant women. The communications messages "Did you know that drinking alcohol whilst pregnant can damage your unborn baby?" and "Did you know that it's safer to avoid alcohol if you are trying to get pregnant?" were delivered in press adverts; and
	in addition, a pregnancy and alcohol booklet was produced in September 2008 for stakeholders such as PCTs, local councils and charities to use as support materials. The booklet offered information about drinking when you're trying to conceive, during pregnancy, and while breastfeeding, how alcohol affects your unborn baby, and the advice on drinking during pregnancy.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were admitted to hospital for the treatment of sexually transmitted infections  (a) in each region in each year since 1997-98 and  (b) in each primary care trust area in the last year for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: We are unable to provide a breakdown by primary care trust of residence due to the sensitivity of the data. The count of admissions to hospital for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) broken down by strategic health authority of residence for 1997-98 to 2007-08 is provided in the following table. These data only include admissions to hospital and do not include attendances at genito-urinary medicine clinics, where the majority of STIs are detected and treated.
	
		
			  Number of admissions to hospital for sexually transmitted infections broken down by strategic health authority (SHA) of residence for 1997-98 to 2007-08, activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			   Current  s trategic HA of residence  2007-08  2006-07  2005-06  2004-05  2003-04  2002-03  2001-02  2000-01  1999-2000  1998-99  1997-98 
			  Total 2,649 2,620 2,818 2,678 2,741 2,744 2,840 3,193 3,447 3,297 3,527 
			  
			 Q01 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic HA — — 104 77 65 64 64 72 53 79 90 
			 Q02 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Strategic HA — — 59 61 54 73 55 68 71 60 50 
			 Q03 Essex Strategic HA — — 58 55 89 35 36 36 39 63 47 
			 Q04 North West London Strategic HA — — 107 95 105 96 57 63 72 72 121 
			 Q05 North Central London Strategic HA — — 120 79 97 88 48 61 73 60 59 
			 Q06 North East London Strategic HA — — 112 108 146 58 12 132 190 134 35 
			 Q07 South East London Strategic HA — — 111 125 105 115 73 101 82 88 84 
			 Q08 South West London Strategic HA — — 71 74 62 63 64 45 49 58 70 
			 Q09 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Strategic HA — — 113 100 86 86 92 121 128 158 131 
			 Q10 County Durham and Tees Valley Strategic HA — — 76 73 73 91 74 50 58 122 117 
			 Q11 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire Strategic HA — — 56 90 105 67 88 89 115 135 95 
			 Q12 West Yorkshire Strategic HA — — 122 123 82 76 117 169 161 149 224 
			 Q13 Cumbria and Lancashire Strategic HA — — 130 137 118 118 104 128 174 214 294 
			 Q14 Greater Manchester Strategic HA — — 158 177 166 128 173 301 414 311 342 
			 Q15 Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic HA — — 109 89 146 99 127 134 119 78 79 
			 Q16 Thames Valley Strategic HA — — 98 68 51 58 51 41 36 23 23 
			 Q17 Hampshire and Isle of Wight Strategic HA — — 40 33 55 59 70 63 78 75 57 
			 Q18 Kent and Medway Strategic HA — — 53 58 40 35 45 90 122 93 117 
			 Q19 Surrey and Sussex Strategic HA — — 121 168 129 115 114 114 98 117 124 
			 Q20 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Strategic HA — — 83 82 96 87 101 62 81 30 36 
			 Q21 South West Peninsula Strategic HA — — 161 95 122 126 125 90 79 16 6 
			 Q22 Dorset and Somerset Strategic HA — — 31 36 32 34 27 42 41 41 22 
			 Q23 South Yorkshire Strategic HA — — 82 73 85 61 46 58 55 12 3 
			 Q24 Trent Strategic HA — — 119 100 118 143 124 106 114 61 75 
			 Q25 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland Strategic HA — — 115 100 51 21 35 21 42 45 34 
			 Q26 Shropshire and Staffordshire Strategic HA — — 53 55 57 38 33 20 18 35 33 
			 Q27 Birmingham and the Black Country Strategic HA — — 103 90 79 117 106 128 94 69 92 
			 Q28 West Midlands South Strategic HA — — 65 54 41 54 55 77 82 49 63 
			 Q30 North East SHA 167 160 — — — — — — — — — 
			 Q31 North West SHA 377 367 — — — — — — — — — 
			 Q32 Yorkshire and the Humber 265 265 — — — — — — — — — 
			 Q33 East Midlands SHA 243 169 — — — — — — — — — 
			 Q34 West Midlands SHA 194 204 — — — — — — — — — 
			 Q35 East of England SHA 200 190 — — — — — — — — — 
			 Q36 London SHA 492 458 — — — — — — — — — 
			 Q37 South East Coast SHA 174 141 — — — — — — — — — 
			 Q38 South Central SHA 89 85 — — — — — — — — — 
			 Q39 South West SHA 245 218 — — — — — — — — — 
			  Other and Unknown SHAs 203 363 188 203 286 539 724 711 709 850 1,004 
			  Notes:  Finished admission episodes A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. Finished admission episodes are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.  Primary diagnosis The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital. The ICD-10 codes used to identify sexually transmitted infections are as follows: A50: Congenital syphilis A51: Early syphilis A52: Late syphilis A53: Other and unspecified syphilis A54: Gonococcal infection A55: Chlamydial lymphogranuloma (venereum) A56: Other sexually transmitted chlamydial diseases A57: Chancroid A58: Granuloma inguinale A59: Trichomoniasis A60: Anogenital herpesviral (herpes simplex) infection A63: Other predominantly sexually transmitted diseases, not elsewhere classified A64: Unspecified sexually transmitted disease It should be noted that there are other diagnoses that can be transmitted sexually but are not limited to sexually transmission—they have been excluded from this response.  Data quality HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. Data are also received from a number of independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.  PCT/SHA data quality PCT and SHA data were added to historic data years in the HES database using 2002-03 boundaries, as a one-off exercise in 2004. The quality of the data on PCT of treatment and SHA of treatment is poor in 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99, with over a third of all finished episodes having missing values in these years. Data quality of PCT of GP practice and SHA of general practitioner (GP) practice in 1997-98 and 1998-99 is also poor, with a high proportion missing values where practices changed or ceased to exist. There is less change in completeness of the residence-based fields over time, where the majority of unknown values are due to missing postcodes on birth episodes. Users of time series analysis including these years need to be aware of these issues in their interpretation of the data.  Assessing growth through time HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. The quality and coverage of the data have improved over time. These improvements in information submitted by the NHS have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. Some of the increase in figures for later years (particularly 2006-07 onwards) may be due to the improvement in the coverage of independent sector activity. Changes in NHS practice also need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. For example, a number of procedures may now be undertaken in out-patient settings and may no longer be accounted for in the HES data. This may account for any reductions in activity over time.  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), the NHS Information Centre for health and social care.

Swine Flu

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will put in place arrangements for the decontamination of passenger airplanes between flights in cases where there is a risk of swine influenza infection.

Dawn Primarolo: Airlines have standard procedures for decontaminating aircraft where a passenger exhibits symptoms suggestive of an infectious disease. This is in accordance with normal International Air Transport Association guidance. In light of the recent outbreak of swine flu, the Health Protection Agency has issued Interim guidance reminding airlines of the procedures that should be followed. A copy has been placed in the Library.

Trade Unions

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 10 March 2009,  Official Report, column 391W, on trade unions, what office facilities his Department provides for the exclusive use of each recognised trade union; and what the notional annual value of such provision is.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department provides office space and facilities for the Public and Commercial Services Union and for members of the departmental trade union side in London and Leeds.
	In London, space is provided in Skipton house with a total notional cost of £20,620 per annum. In Leeds, space is provided in Quarry house with a total notional cost of £17,109 per annum.

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Car Scrappage Scheme

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what progress has been made on plans for the introduction of the car scrappage scheme.

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he expects the vehicle scrappage scheme to come into operation.

Ian Pearson: The scrappage scheme announced in the Budget will be operational from 18 May 2009.

Consumer Rights

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent steps he has taken to strengthen consumer rights.

Gareth Thomas: Over recent months the Government have developed further our work tackling illegal money lending and improving access to debt advice and affordable credit.
	We have ensured that credit card companies adopt a breathing space for consumers who are in debt, and have announced that we will take action to outlaw unsolicited credit card cheques.
	We launched Consumer Focus, the new advocacy body to ensure a stronger voice for consumers and have introduced new protections against rogue traders who sell to consumers on the doorstep.

Post Bank

Danny Alexander: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent representations he has received on proposals for a Post Bank.

Patrick McFadden: In addition to representations from hon. Members, my right hon. Friend has recently received representations from the "Post Bank Collection" and the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters about the creation of a Post Bank.

WTO Negotiations: Doha

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent assessment he has made of progress on the Doha round of World Trade Organisation negotiations; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave earlier today in the Chamber in response to a question from the hon. Member for Banbury (Tony Baldry).

Small Business: Credit

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent representations he has received from small businesses on the availability to them of credit.

Ian Pearson: BERR is in regular contact with small business representative organisations and with small businesses themselves on many issues, including access to credit.

Trade Credit Insurance Scheme

Gordon Banks: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what eligibility criteria will apply to assistance under his Department's trade credit insurance scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the Member for Glenrothes (Lindsay Roy).

Unscrupulous Lenders

Lyn Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps his Department is taking against unscrupulous lenders; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: We are funding a specialist team in every region of England, Wales and Scotland to help crack down on illegal money lending and in March we launched a national hotline and an awareness campaign, to warn consumers against the dangers of illegal lending.

Regulatory Budgets

Richard Spring: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what progress the Government have made in their consultation on introducing a system of regulatory budgets.

Patrick McFadden: As set out in the statement to the House on 2 April, the Government have decided not to implement a system of regulatory budgets at this stage. Rather we will undertake a programme of better regulation measures tailored to the present exceptional economic circumstances.

Business Support

Tom Harris: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps regional development agencies are taking to support small and medium-sized businesses during the recession; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: Strong RDAs are crucial in the current economic climate to support businesses through these challenging times and bring forward major capital investment schemes to act as an economic stimulus.
	RDA support for small and medium-sized businesses during the recession includes: the provision of free 'Health Checks' for business from Business Links; delivery of the Government's streamlined business support portfolio Solutions for Business; and Regional Transition Loan Funds.

Government Industrial Strategy

Mark Harper: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what plans his Department has for the implementation of the Government's new industrial strategy.

Ian Pearson: 'New Industry, New Jobs' was published on 20 April. Implementation has already started across Government and a plan of action will be published shortly.

Ammunition: Exports

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what  (a) guidelines and  (b) restrictions apply to the export of white phosphorus munitions.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 5 May 2009
	All munitions are strategically controlled Military List goods and as such cannot be exported without a license.
	All applications for export licences are rigorously assessed on a case by case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria and any other relevant announced policies. There are no specific guidelines on the export of white phosphorous munitions but assessments of applications take account of all available information at the time of the application, including information about the situation in the receiving country and licences will not be issued if the proposed exports would be inconsistent with any of the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. As part of the assessment process consideration is given to the past behaviour of end users.

Business: Government Assistance

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what  (a) advice and  (b) financial assistance his Department provides to (i) small, (ii) medium-sized and (iii) large companies; how many companies in each category in each region sought (A) advice and (B) assistance from his Department in the last 12 months; how many officials in each pay band in his Department are engaged in the provision of advice to businesses; how much his Department spent on providing (1) advice and (2) financial assistance to companies during the last year; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: This Department delivers advice and access to business support primarily through the national Business Link service. The regional development agencies manage Business Link advisory services, which are delivered locally throughout England by external providers. For further information see
	www.businesslink.gov.uk
	In the 12 months ending December 2008, advisers helped over 942,000 businesses and the website attracted 9.8 million visitors.
	In addition to Business Link, this Department sponsors the work of UK Trade and Investment and the Manufacturing Advisory Service. Our annual report describes these and the other forms of business support provided by this Department more fully. The RDAs fund the Business Link service from monies provided by this and other Departments. In 2008-09, we estimated that the value of Business Link contracts in the regions amounted to approximately £190 million.
	The remaining information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Business: Government Assistance

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many businesses have received assistance from the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme; and how much funding has been committed to date.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 26 February 2009
	Since its launch on 14 January, the Enterprise Finance Guarantee has nearly £300 million of eligible applications from over 2,600 firms that have been granted, are being processed or assessed.

Business: Government Assistance

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many businesses in Braintree have received assistance from the  (a) Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme,  (b) Capital for Enterprise Fund and  (c) Working Capital Guarantee Scheme; and how much funding has been committed to businesses in Braintree under each scheme.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 26 February 2009
	The Enterprise Finance Guarantee, Capital for Enterprise Fund and the Working Capital Scheme were announced under the Real Help with Finance package on 14 January.
	Since its launch on 14 January, the Enterprise Finance Guarantee has nearly £300 million of eligible applications from over 2,600 firms that have been granted, or are being processed or assessed.
	With respect to the £75 million Capital for Enterprise equity scheme, the appointed fund managers are in discussions and conducting due diligence on companies from whom they have received serious proposals seeking a total of around £60 million of investments
	The Working Capital Scheme is not available directly to businesses. The scheme enables participating banks to increase the amount of working capital they can make available to businesses.

Manufacturing Industries

Peter Bone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of prospects for the manufacturing industry in the next three years.

Ian Pearson: The Manufacturing Strategy launched in September 2008 sets out clearly the importance of manufacturing to the UK economy. It provides a powerful vision for how the UK can take advantage of global trends and brings together £150 million of support to seize new opportunities.
	The Government are also taking steps to help manufacturers through the current economic downturn by boosting capital and liquidity in the market, and ensuring that the policies within the Manufacturing Strategy work to bolster UK manufacturing and help businesses to prepare for the upturn when it comes.
	In April, the Government published "New Industry, New Jobs", which identifies key areas where Government action can speed recovery through investing in growth and building manufacturing and services essential to ensure business can compete successfully in future markets.

Motor Vehicles

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps his Department is taking to support research and development of environmentally-friendly car technologies within the automotive sector.

Ian Pearson: BERR has been working with the Technology Strategy Board (TSB), other Government Departments (including the Department for Transport and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills) and other organisations to further the development of low carbon technologies for the automotive sector, primarily through the TSB's Low Carbon Vehicle Innovation Platform. Details of Government's vision for the development of ultra-low carbon vehicles in the UK were announced on 16 April 2009. BERR has also supported the industry-led New Automotive Innovation and Growth Team (which published its report on 6 May) articulating a strategic vision for low carbon cars in the UK. In addition, the £2.3 billion Automotive Assistance Programme has been designed to help support the development of green technologies.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Stephen Byers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what his most recent assessment is of the progress made by the European Investment Bank to  (a) Nissan and  (b) Jaguar Land Rover in agreeing terms for financial assistance; on what date he estimates the financial assistance will be made available; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 30 April 2009
	The European Investment Bank announced on 7 April that its Board had approved in principle a loan of €400 million to Nissan to support fuel efficiency projects in the UK and Spain, and a loan of €360 million to Jaguar Land Rover to support low carbon projects in the UK. Both companies are now engaged in separate discussions with the EIB to agree terms for the respective loans.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

John Hemming: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will seek to provide interim funding of £4 million for LDV to facilitate the purchase of the business and to enable it to continue to trade.

Ian Pearson: The government have agreed to make available a one-off £5 million bridging loan facility to prevent LDV going into administration, and to facilitate the purchase of the company by Weststar of Malaysia. Weststar's proposed purchase of LDV offers the only credible chance of keeping this manufacturing plant in the UK, sustaining UK jobs and a platform for future model development.

New Businesses

Joan Ryan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what support his Department is providing for new business start-ups in 2008-09; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Advice and support for new business start ups in England is provided through the Business Link network as contracted by the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) and funded by this Department. This includes free advice and information on understanding business finance. More intensive support, including mentoring or one-to-one coaching, is available for those targeted by RDAs as either being from underrepresented groups or as having high-growth potential. The businesslink.gov.uk website provides a wide range of advice and support tools for new business start ups.

Post Offices

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what plans he has for the development of the Post Office network.

Patrick McFadden: I refer the hon. member to the answer given earlier today to the hon. Member for Argyll and Bute (Mr. Reid).

Real Help with Finance Package

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what percentage of each of the three funds announced under the Real Help with Finance Package have been allocated to Northern Ireland; and when it is expected that funding under the package will be made available to Northern Ireland businesses.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 3 March 2009
	The three funds announced under the Real Help with Finance package on 14 January are the Enterprise Finance Guarantee, the Capital for Enterprise Fund and the Working Capital Scheme.
	The Enterprise Finance Guarantee and Capital for Enterprise Funds are UK-wide schemes and are open to all eligible UK businesses, including those in Northern Ireland. Since its launch on 14 January, the Enterprise Finance Guarantee has nearly £300 million of eligible applications from over 2,600 firms that have been granted, are being processed or assessed.
	The Working Capital Schemes supports lenders by providing a guarantee on portfolios of lending to business and is open to all UK banks.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

British Overseas Territories: Agriculture

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of land in  (a) the Turks and Caicos Islands and  (b) the Cayman Islands was used for crop or livestock production in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: There is no significant or regular crop or livestock production in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
	The department of agriculture in the Cayman Islands does not have an agricultural land use database but has estimated that the percentage of land used for crop and/or livestock production in the Cayman Islands is 6 per cent.

British Overseas Territories: Environment Protection

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much funding  (a) Montserrat,  (b) Bermuda and  (c) the British Virgin Islands has received from the Overseas Territories Environment Programme for environmental management.

Gillian Merron: The Overseas Territories Environment Programme is jointly funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development for environmental management projects. Funding to date has been £257,413 for projects in Montserrat, £324,334 for projects in Bermuda and £65,058 for projects in the British Virgin Islands.

British Overseas Territories: Environment Protection

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many species endemic to  (a) South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands and  (b) Anguilla are on the endangered species list.

Gillian Merron: According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Red list of threatened species, none of the species endemic to either South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands or Anguilla are thought to be endangered.

British Overseas Territories: Environment Protection

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which UK Overseas Territories have coral reefs; and whether an assessment has been made of the condition of such reefs in the last 10 years.

Gillian Merron: The British Overseas Territories with coral reefs are: the Cayman Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Bermuda, Pitcairn Islands, the British Indian Ocean Territory and Montserrat. With the exception of Pitcairn Islands and Montserrat, all have assessed the condition of their reefs within the last 10 years.

British Overseas Territories: Environment Protection

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether strategies are in place to deal with the risks of climate change and rising sea levels in low-lying UK Overseas Territories in the Caribbean.

Gillian Merron: The Caribbean British Overseas Territories are Anguilla, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Anguilla is addressing climate change through a sustainable energy strategy. Montserrat has established a Climate and Volcano Institute to address the impact of the active Soufriere volcano on climate change in the region. The British Virgin Islands are undergoing a year-long assessment prior to identifying climate change strategies. The Cayman Islands have set up a climate change adaptation working group. The Turks and Caicos Islands have set up a climate change group.
	The British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean are participating in a Department for International Development funded project to enhance capacity for adaptation to climate change.

British Overseas Territories: Nature Conservation

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on conservation measures in British Overseas Territories in each of the last five years; and what funding allocation has been made to such measures in 2009-10.

Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has contributed £500,000 per annum every year for the last five years to the Overseas Territories Environment Programme, which supports conservation measures in the British Overseas Territories. The same amount has been allocated for 2009-10.

British Overseas Territories: Population

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the population of  (a) the Turks and Caicos Islands and  (b) the Cayman Islands was in each year since 2000.

Gillian Merron: The statistical office of the department for economic planning and statistics in the Turks and Caicos Islands has provided the following estimated figures relating to the population of the Turks and Caicos Islands in each year since 2000.
	
		
			   Estimated figure 
			 2000 18,491 
			 2001 19,886 
			 2002 20,900 
			 2003 25,143 
			 2004 27,496 
			 2005 30,602 
			 2006 33,202 
			 2007 34,862 
			 2008 36,605 
		
	
	The economics and statistics office in the Cayman Islands has provided the following estimated figures relating to the population of the Cayman Islands in each year since 2000.
	
		
			   Estimated figure 
			 2000 40,800 
			 2001 41,900 
			 2002 43,004 
			 2003 44,144 
			 2004 36,340 
			 2005 52,466 
			 2006 53,172 
			 2007 53,886 
		
	
	Figures for 2008 are not yet available.
	The drop in population level in 2004 has been attributed to the temporary relocation of residents abroad in the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan. The increase in population in 2005 has been attributed to the return of these residents, and the increase in the labour force needed for the reconstruction of the country.

British Overseas Territories: Prisoners

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people have been held in prisons in  (a) Anguilla and  (b) Gibraltar since 2005.

Gillian Merron: We understand that 744 people were held in prison in Anguilla between 1 January 2005 and 29 April 2009 inclusive.
	As regards Gibraltar, in 2005 there were 192 receptions of prisoners, the average daily population was 26.
	In 2006, there were 202 receptions of prisoners, the average daily population was 34.
	Under the 2006 constitution, the administration of the prison in Gibraltar, except as it affects the Governor's responsibility for upholding internal security, is a matter for the Government of Gibraltar. Figures for 2007 onwards are therefore not held by the Government.

British Overseas Territories: Renewable Energy

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which UK Crown Dependencies have trialled electricity generation through the use of  (a) wind turbines,  (b) solar power and  (c) tidal or hydro-electric power.

Michael Wills: I have been asked to reply.
	The Isle of Man has a small hydro generation facility which supplies about 1 per cent. of island electricity demand. Feasibility work is being carried out on larger scale renewable schemes.
	Jersey and Guernsey Governments have not yet trialled electricity generation through wind, solar or hydro power. However, Jersey and Guernsey are in the process of establishing tidal energy commissions. Alderney has already established such a commission to oversee the regulation of companies which wish to run tidal energy schemes.

Democratic Republic of Congo: War Crimes

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 12 March 2009,  Official Report, column 620W, on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): war crimes, what further reports he has received on allegations that Bosco Ntaganda is playing a leading role in military operations in the DRC; and if he will direct his officials to make further high level representations to the Congolese government on the arrest of Bosco Ntaganda.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 6 May 2009
	It is unclear from reports we have received whether Bosco Ntaganda has taken a role in planning military operations against the Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda (FDLR) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Our embassy in Kinshasa is seeking to establish the facts. We understand that the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative in the DRC has ordered his officials not to attend meetings at which Bosco may be present. Our ambassador in Kinshasa raised the question of Bosco's position in meetings with the DRC Foreign Minister and the commander of the UN peacekeeping force on 20 April 2009. He has sought reassurances that Bosco will be handed over to the International Criminal Court.

Departmental Air Conditioning

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of his Department's buildings are equipped with air conditioning systems with output greater than 250kW; how many of these systems have been inspected under the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each inspection report.

Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has three buildings for which inspections of air conditioning systems need to be carried out in accordance with the Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations (2007/991). No inspections have been carried out to date. The surveys on all three are due to be completed by 15 May 2009
	The FCO will place in the Library of the House, a copy of the display energy certificates and their associated advisory reports in respect of each property occupied by the FCO and its agencies, once received.

Departmental Billing

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of its suppliers his Department has paid within 10 days of receipt of invoice in each of the last five months.

Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has paid the following percentage of valid invoices received from UK suppliers within eight days of receipt in the last five months. In normal circumstances it will take two further days for a payment to reach the suppliers' bank accounts.
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 November 70.2 
			 December 74.4 
			 January 73.2 
			 February 83.1 
			 March 84.8 
		
	
	The FCO is committed to paying all of its suppliers as quickly as possible following receipt of a valid invoice, and is giving priority to increasing the percentage of invoices paid within eight working days.

Diplomatic Service: Recruitment

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs by what method it is intended to select the person to be appointed as the next Ambassador to the Holy See when the post is expected next to become vacant; and whether the post is to be advertised.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 28 April 2009
	 Our current ambassador to the Holy See is due to leave the post in summer 2010. Leaving dates in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) are to some extent flexible to allow the FCO to deploy its resources most effectively, and it is therefore possible that this timing will change. We will select a replacement for our current ambassador by advertising within the FCO and more widely across other Whitehall Departments, as is standard with senior posts.

Diplomatic Service: Recruitment

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the post of Ambassador to South Africa was  (a) advertised and  (b) trawled before the recent appointment of a successor to the right hon. Paul Boateng.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 28 April 2009
	 The vacancy for the post of our high commissioner in Pretoria was advertised within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the wider civil service at the end of October 2008. An appointment has been made without the need for the position to be trawled. Our high commissioner-designate is expected to take up their post in August 2010.

Ghana: Military Aid

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 2 April 2009,  Official Report, column 1307W, on Africa: conflict prevention, how many UK staff or personnel were seconded to the British Military Assistance Training Team in Ghana in each year since 2000; what the role of the Training Team has been; what activities it has undertaken; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The British Military Advisory and Training Team-West Africa (BMATT-WA) is funded through the Africa Conflict Prevention Programme, managed tri-departmentally by the Ministry of Defence, Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development. From 2000-02 there were five posts for UK military personnel and from 2003 to date there have been seven posts. In addition, a UK civilian post has been in existence since May 2003. The team will be withdrawn by September 2009.
	The role of BMATT-WA, based in Ghana, has been to support two institutions—the Ghana armed forces command and staff college and the Kofi Annan international peace training centre (KAIPTC).
	In the staff college, the team primarily provided training advice and assistance to the senior division. This support included delivering lectures, writing staff and tactical exercises, and facilitating visiting lecturers for the delivery of specialist defence modules. The three members of BMATT-WA embedded within the KAIPTC are working as executive director, resource director and staff officer for training development. The centre offers Ghanaian, regional and international participants the opportunity to examine specific peace operations issues at the operational level and to update and share their knowledge of the latest practices through conferences, discussions, lectures and computer assisted training exercises.

Iran: Sanctions

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which states have reported to the UN Sanctions Committee impediments under their domestic law to the implementation of the assets freeze on designated persons and entities in accordance with UN Security Council Resolutions 1737 of 2006, 1747 of 2007 and 1803 of 2008; and whether the UK has offered assistance to any such state in this regard.

David Miliband: Member states' reports affirming their implementation of the measures contained in UN Security Council resolutions 1737 of 2006, 1747 of 2007 and 1803 of 2008 are publicly available online at:
	http://www.un.org/sc/committees/1737/memberstatesreports.shtml
	The 1737 Iran Sanctions Committee has never found it necessary to investigate any impediments under any member state's domestic law concerning implementation of the assets freezes as a result of these reports.
	The UK works with other states to provide assistance on the implementation of asset freezes under the UN sanctions against Iran through bilateral discussions and multilateral groups, such as the EU and the Financial Action Task Force.

Kenya: Piracy

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many piracy suspects have been transferred to Kenyan custody under  (a) the EU/Kenya exchange of letters of 6 March 2009 for the transfer of persons suspected of committing acts of piracy and  (b) the December 2008 memorandum of understanding between the UK and Kenya.

David Miliband: Twenty seven piracy suspects have been transferred to Kenyan custody under the EU/Kenya exchange of letters (sixteen by Germany and eleven by France). No piracy suspects have been transferred to Kenyan custody under the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the UK and Kenya. The transfer of eight piracy suspects to Kenyan jurisdiction by the Royal Navy in November 2008 was done under an exchange of letters that preceded the MoU of December 2008.

Montserrat: Overseas Aid

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much financial aid has been provided to Montserrat by the UK since 1995.

Michael Foster: I have been asked to reply.
	Full details of the UK development expenditure in Montserrat are contained in the DFID publication "Statistics on International Development". This publication is available from the Library and online at www.dfid.gov.uk. Relevant figures are reproduced in the table.
	
		
			  Bilateral UK gross public expenditure on development in Montserrat 
			  £000 
			   DFID budgetary aid  DFID other financial aid  DFID technical assistance  Other DFID bilateral aid  DFID humanitarian assistance  Aid from other UK official sources  Total bilateral gross public expenditure (GPEX) 
			 1995-96 750 1,883 1,353 23 2,446 14 6,469 
			 1996-97 5,758 1,456 1,261 71 5,754 — 14,301 
			 1997-98 9,850 3,190 8,994 3,686 12,043 1 37,764 
			 1998-99 8,340 54 4,658 10,052 7,700 — 30,804 
			 1999-2000 8,232 509 4,580 4,143 4,808 — 22,273 
			 2000-01 5,740 1 3,643 5,550 4,663 — 19,597 
			 2001-02 7,605 5,644 3,955 3,998 1,279 — 22,481 
			 2002-03 11,265 7,476 2,285 1,494 830 — 23,350 
			 2003-04 12,451 8,925 2,510 394 477 — 24,757 
			 2004-05 10,133 2,406 1,402 66 144 — 14,151 
			 2005-06 10,367 842 1,388 20 — — 12,617 
			 2006-07 11,350 3,031 1,175 — — — 15,556 
			 2007-08 11,725 3,723 1,693 20 3 131 17,295

Rwanda: Extradition

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has had discussions with the Rwandan government on steps to be taken following the judgment of the divisional court of 8 April 2009 on the extradition of four men to Rwanda.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 28 April 2009
	 We are discussing with the Government of Rwanda how we might best proceed in light of the High Court judgment of 8 April 2009, on the extradition of four men to Rwanda. We will continue to provide technical advice and support to the Rwandan justice sector. The Government and Parliament of Rwanda are pressing ahead with various reforms to this sector, in discussion with the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

Trade Unions

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 12 March 2009,  Official Report, column 634W, on trade unions, which trade unions are recognised by his Department's agencies.

Gillian Merron: The following three trade unions have agreed rights to represent employees in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's agencies:
	Public and Commercial Services Union
	The Diplomatic Service Association—the Diplomatic Service section of the FDA (formerly First Division Association)
	Prospect—representing technical staff and other specialists.

Zimbabwe

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the establishment of a contact group for Zimbabwe; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: We want the new inclusive Government in Zimbabwe to work and to lead to a better future for all Zimbabweans, and we work to keep Zimbabwe high on the agenda at all appropriate international gatherings. There are already effective mechanisms for international discussion and co-ordination on Zimbabwe without the need to establish a formal contact group. An example of this co-ordination is the 20 March 2009 meeting in Washington of all donors, which reconfirmed international willingness to support recovery in Zimbabwe when there is evidence of a genuine commitment by the new Government to political and economic reform.
	We also discuss the situation regularly with EU and other partners, including members of the Southern Africa development community. As input to these various discussions, our ambassador in Harare ensures with his colleagues that there is effective monitoring of the political situation. Humanitarian and recovery issues are also monitored and co-ordinated on the ground in Harare with regular meetings of like-minded donors.
	It is encouraging that the inclusive Government have also begun their own direct dialogue with major international partners such as the EU and the International Monetary Fund. In the meantime, the international community continues to make a major contribution to supporting the humanitarian welfare of the Zimbabwean people.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Cabinet: Glasgow

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many  (a) special advisers and  (b) officials accompanied him to Glasgow for the Cabinet meeting on 16 April 2009.

Andy Burnham: None.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department has spent on hospitality and entertainment in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: All expenditure on hospitality is made in accordance with published departmental guidance, based on principles set out in Managing Public Money.
	The information requested by the hon. Member is not readily available from the Department's accounting system. To provide the information would incur disproportionate cost.

Football: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which projects have received more than £250,000 in funding allocated through the Football Foundation since 2000.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Football Foundation advise that 416 projects have received more than £250,000 from them since 2000.
	22 community projects (schemes using football/sporting activity to achieve wider social outcomes) have been awarded a grant over £250,000.
	394 facility projects (capital funding to build football and multi-sport facilities) have been awarded a grant over £250,000.

Gambling Commission

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent by the Gambling Commission on  (a) press officers,  (b) media monitoring,  (c) consultants and  (d) events in each of the last three years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 5 May 2009
	The following table shows the amount (to the nearest pound) spent on each named activity for the last three financial years.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Press officers( 1)  Media monitoring  Consultants( 2)  Events( 3) 
			 2006-07 48,212 10,760 55,477 4,341 
			 2007-08 48,375 36,608 59,714 10,669 
			 2008-09 52,394 35,539 83,496 6,654 
			 (1) Including pension and national insurance costs. (2) Consultants contracted for work involving communications and corporate affairs. (3) Direct costs and excludes consultation events.

Government Art Collection

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent on  (a) purchasing and  (b) commissioning items for the Government art collection in each of the last 10 years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 27 April 2009
	The information is as follows.
	 Works acquired with Government art collection funds:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Purchases  Commissions 
			 1999-2000 189,992 0 
			 2000-01 146,438 0 
			 2001-02 156,957 0 
			 2002-03 233,565 7,403 
			 2003-04 225,101 0 
			 2004-05 294,624 0 
			 2005-06 211,698 8,629 
			 2006-07 228,457 0 
			 2007-08 308,338 0 
			 2008-09 250,348 0 
		
	
	 Works included on the Government art collection inventory, acquired using funds from other sources (other Government Departments, DCMS central funds, PFI funds):
	
		
			  £ 
			   Purchases  Commissions 
			 1999-2000 22,878 66,500 
			 2000-01 2,331 299,250 
			 2001-02 6,767 0 
			 2002-03 5,348 20,000 
			 2003-04 0 0 
			 2004-05 0 1,236,775 
			 2005-06 31,190 149,000 
			 2006-07 450 38,966 
			 2007-08 21,738 84,466 
			 2008-09 153,708 160,202

Licensed Premises

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will bring forward proposals to establish a national database of designated premises supervisors.

Gerry Sutcliffe: A convincing business case is required before committing public expenditure to establishing national databases. The case for establishing a national database for personal licence holders, some of whom would be designated premises supervisors, was examined by independent consultants and they did not find that a compelling case existed. In the absence of any new evidence to strengthen the case we have no current plans to introduce a database but we will keep the matter under review. The current arrangements were designed to function effectively with or without an electronic database.

Listed Buildings

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many recommendations made by English Heritage in respect of the listing of buildings were rejected by his Department in each of the last 10 years.

Barbara Follett: No central record is maintained, either by the Department or English Heritage, to show the number of occasions on which advice provided by English Heritage on listing applications is rejected. The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

National Lottery

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding allocated by each of the National Lottery distributors was channelled through local authorities in each of the last five years.

Barbara Follett: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Office of Communications: Complaints

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many complaints in each category have been received by the Office of Communications in each year since its establishment.

Andy Burnham: The matters raised are the responsibility of the Office of Communications (Ofcom) as independent regulator. Accordingly, my officials have asked the chief executive of Ofcom to respond directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the chief executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Olympic Games 2012: Finance

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how the funds raised by Team 2012 will be allocated to each sporting discipline.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 6 May 2009
	Money received by UK Sport from Team 2012 will be allocated and distributed to Olympic and Paralympic sports according to their 'no compromise' investment strategy and against the 10 investment principles published in June 2008, with the aim of delivering the overall targets for London 2012 of Top 4 in the Olympics and 2nd in the Paralympics with more medals won in more sports.

Olympic Games 2012: Finance

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what support is available for sportsmen and women training to participate in the London 2012 Olympics in disciplines which fall outside UK Sport's funding envelope to meet  (a) medical insurance costs and  (b) other essential costs.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 6 May 2009
	The Olympic Sports that do not receive public funding from UK Sport are football and tennis.
	The remaining Olympic and Paralympic sports are benefiting from record public funding of £304 million in the run up to the London 2012 Olympics and it is for the national governing bodies of these sports to determine how to allocate this funding.
	In line with UK Sport's investment principles, there are three tiers of funded sports—'Podium', 'Emerging' and 'Basic'. Those sports on 'Podium' and 'Emerging' levels of funding are in receipt of Athlete Medical Scheme cover for named athletes on the World Class Programme.
	'Basic' level funding covers core staff costs and basic preparation. The eight Olympic sports funded at this level can opt to prioritise access to the Athlete Medical Scheme within their funding.

Sports: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which projects have received more than £250,000 in funding allocated through the Community Club Development Programme since 2003.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Sport England has advised that the following projects have received more than £250,000 in funding through the Community Club Development Programme since 2003:
	
		
			  Financial year  Recipient  Project description  Total  (£) 
			 2004-05 England and Wales Cricket Board CCDP—Band A NGB Allocation 1,901,064 
			  Lawn Tennis Association Band A NGB—Allocation 1,714,395 
			  Medway Badminton Association Modernisation of Facility 333,775 
			  Rugby Football Union CCDP Band A NGB Allocation 6,151,702 
			  The Football Foundation CCDP Band A NGB Allocation 2,141,425 
			 
			 2005-06 England and Wales Cricket Board CCDP—Band A NGB Allocation 4,156,127 
			  Heathrow Gymnastic Club Gymnastic Facility 270,566 
			  Hounslow Badminton Association Modernisation of Facilities 472,775 
			  Kendal Judo Club New Two Mat Area 266,839 
			  Lawn Tennis Association Band A NGB—Allocation 4,270,032 
			  North Lincolnshire Council Track Upgrade 276,137 
			  Rugby Football Union CCDP Band A NGB Allocation 2,064,564 
			  SKK Judo Club New Two Mat Facility 280,409 
			  The Football Foundation CCDP Band A NGB Allocation 4,517,769 
			 
			 2006-07 Benfield School Benfield School Refurbishment 264,482 
			  Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council Multi Use STP 449,908 
			  Blue Flames Sports Club 3 Category Three Netball court 271,715 
			  Copeland Stadium Regional Centre 674,406 
			  Cottingham Tigers ARLFC Regional Centre Improvements 314,787 
			  Dartford Borough Council New Two Mat Judo Facility 255,600 
			  Draycott and Long Eaton Table Tennis Club Modernisation of building 396,652 
			  Ellenborough Table Tennis Club New Hall and Modernisation 552,555 
			  England and Wales Cricket Board CCDP—Band A NGB Allocation 3,138,122 
			  Football Foundation CCDP Band A NGB Allocation 2,993,949 
			  Highworth Recreation Centre Trust Pool Roofing Project 367,800 
			  Lawn Tennis Association Band A NGB—Allocation 3,419,915 
			  Middlesbrough Borough Council Upgrade and Modernisation 500,000 
			  Northamptonshire Association of Youth Clubs on behalf of Northamptonshire Trampoline Gymnastics Academy Extension to Building 427,462 
			  Northamptonshire County Council on behalf of Northants Basketball Club Two Court New Build Hall 600,000 
			  Redbridge Judo Club New Build Dojo 928,687 
			  Rugby Football Union CCDP Band A NGB Allocation 2,254,682 
			  SKK Judo Club New Two Mat Facility 494,583 
			  Swindon Borough Council Dorcan Recreation Complex 413,000 
			  Thatto Heath ARLFC New Clubhouse 551,812 
			  Wakefield MB Council Thornes Park Stadium Extension 374,192 
			  Weavers School on behalf of Westfield Table Tennis Club New build table tennis hall 300,000 
			  Amateur Boxing Association Ring/Practice Equipment 718,071 
			 
			 2007-08 Canoe Club (Freehold) Ltd. Community Club Development Programme 300,000 
			  CCDP Deferred Grants Community Club Development Programme 7,701,677 
			  East Grinstead Sports Club Community Club Development Programme 263,896 
			  East Staffs Gymnastics Club Community Club Development Programme 250,000 
			  England and Wales Cricket Board CCDP—Band A NGB Allocation 4,755,551 
			  Hull Badminton Centre Refurbishment of 4 Court Hall 453,350 
			  Jesse Boot Community Trust Mini Basketball Hall 768,701 
			  Lawn Tennis Association Band A NGB—Allocation 4,683,996 
			  Leicester City Council on Behalf of Hinckley Gymnastics Club New Build Gymnastics Facility 500,000 
			  Littlehampton Badminton Renovation of Badminton Hall .405,846 
			  Pontefract Squash and Leisure Club Community Club Development Programme 350,000 
			  Rugby Football Union CCDP Band A NGB Allocation 4,637,975 
			  Solihull Cycling Club Community Club Development Programme 400,000 
			  St. Neots Table Tennis Club Upgrade existing facility 338,170 
			  The Football Foundation CCDP Band A NGB Allocation 4,750,000 
			  West Herts Warriors Community Club Development Programme 429,454 
			 Grand total   80,468,575

HOME DEPARTMENT

Community Relations: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the planning guidance, Safer places: a counter-terrorism supplement, whether the £5 million of funding is  (a) additional funding,  (b) to be delivered in one year and  (c) available to local planning authorities and other bodies.

Vernon Coaker: The extra £5 million funding comes from the Home Office budget for the Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism (OSCT). It was allocated as part of the budget setting round for 2009-10. The funding will support regional and local delivery of work to improve the protection of crowded places as set out in the Government's consultation document "Working Together to Protect Crowded Places".
	The Government will allocate this funding based on priorities identified by local partnerships and risk assessments carried out by counter-terrorism security advisers (CTSAs).

Departmental Databases

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects automated supply of crime and detection data from existing police force management systems via her Department's data hub to be fully operational.

Jacqui Smith: The Home Office data hub will receive crime, detections and police personnel data from police forces in England and Wales. The system is currently being tested and test data extracts have now been received from 28 forces. It is planned that the system will be fully operational by the end of the financial year 2010-11.

Departmental Manpower

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people will be employed in the Confidential Intelligence Unit in each of the next three years; what budget has been established for the Unit in each such years; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: There is no organisation called the Confidential Intelligence Unit, nor are there any plans to set one up.

Police: Accountability

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police forces in England and Wales have implemented the Justice Seen, Justice Done programme.

Jacqui Smith: The Justice Seen, Justice Done programme is about raising public awareness and knowledge of the services and actions the public should expect from the police and other agencies—especially the commitments set out in the Policing Pledge.
	All 43 forces in England and Wales have been involved in the Justice Seen, Justice Done programme through their local promotion of the Police Pledge.

Police: Powers

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what timetable she has set for the completion of the review of the use of powers under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.

Jacqui Smith: The Government launched a three month consultation period on 17 April. Once we have had an opportunity to consider the responses to the consultation we will bring Consolidating Orders before Parliament at the earliest opportunity. The orders will set out which authorising officers in which public authorities may authorise specific covert investigatory techniques and for what purpose.

Police: Standards

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to  (a) finalise and  (b) implement the single top-down public confidence measure for police forces; and whether a method for measurement of the indicator has been agreed.

Jacqui Smith: Following a period of consultation with all police forces and authorities, the single top-down public confidence target was announced on 5 March 2009. Forces and authorities have until the end of March 2012 to reach their individual targets, which when achieved will mean that, nationally, 60 per cent. of the public agree that the police and their partners are dealing with the crime and antisocial behaviour issues that matter locally.
	The target will be measured using the British Crime Survey question which asks whether respondents agree that:
	"the police and local councils are dealing with the antisocial behaviour and crime issues that matter in [their local] area".
	As a joint measure it deliberately promotes partnership working between the police and councils as that is what is needed to tackle local problems.

Police: Standards

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made on  (a) the Policing Objective Analysis model and  (b) the development of force value for money profiles to provide improved data on the individual component costs of policing functions; and what timetable has been set for their completion.

Jacqui Smith: The Association of Chief Police Officers have developed the Policing Objective Analysis model and obtained agreement with forces and the Association of Police Authorities to commence its use from April 2009. The first year's results will be available at the end of the 2009-10 financial year.
	Her Majesty's inspectorate of constabulary (HMIC) is taking forward the development of force Value for Money profiles. HMIC plan to make the first set of profiles available to police authorities and forces in autumn 2009.

Police: Surveillance

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what timetable she has set for the introduction of new codes of practice on the use of  (a) covert human intelligence sources and  (b) covert surveillance; and when she expects these codes of practice to enter into force.

Jacqui Smith: The Government launched a three month consultation period on 17 April. Once we have had an opportunity to consider the responses to the consultation we will bring an Order before Parliament to bring revised Codes of Practice into force at the earliest opportunity.

Police: Technology

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much ring-fenced funding each police force will receive for spending on new technology to fight crime in  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11; and how much such funding each force received in 2008-09.

Jacqui Smith: All police forces in England, Scotland and Wales have received ring-fenced funding under the mobile information programme. Funding has been awarded in two phases:
	Phase one forces received £40,126,510 during 2008-09
	Phase two forces received £14,646,348 during 2008-09 and are due to receive £14,890,846 during 2009-10
	This brings the total funding to forces to £69,663,704. No forces will receive funding from the programme in 2010-11.
	
		
			  Table 1: Phase 1 
			   £ 
			 Bedfordshire 474,050 
			 Cambridgeshire 780,000 
			 Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (all eight Scottish Forces) 2,500,000 
			 Yorkshire Region (Humberside, North Yorkshire, and West Yorkshire) 4,550,000 
			 Staffordshire 3,762,800 
			 Cheshire 2,064,000 
			 Lancashire 3,360,000 
			 Thames Valley 792,000 
			 Essex 2,848,000 
			 Hertfordshire 1,900,000 
			 East Midlands Region (Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, and Nottinghamshire) 8,318,875 
			 British Transport Police 1,984,785 
			 Kent 1,792,000 
			 Metropolitan 5,000,000 
			 Total 40,126,510 
		
	
	Details of phase two awards have not been released at this time, to ensure their commercial interests are not prejudiced as they negotiate contracts. The following forces received awards in phase 2.
	 Table 2: Phase 2
	Association of Chief Police Officers—Terrorism and Allied Matters
	City of London
	Cleveland
	Cumbria
	Durham
	Dyfed-Powys
	Greater Manchester
	Gwent
	Hampshire
	Merseyside
	Norfolk
	Northumbria
	North Wales
	Serious Organised Crime Agency
	South Wales
	South Yorkshire
	Suffolk
	Surrey
	Sussex
	West Mercia
	West Midlands
	Wiltshire

Terrorism

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 1 April 2009,  Official Report, column 1265W, on terrorism, what mechanism exists to measure progress on the proposal to establish a civilian force of 60,000 workers trained to deal with terrorism incidents.

Jacqui Smith: Local police counter-terrorism security advisers (CTSAs) submit regular returns to the police National Counter-Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO). The returns cover the activities CTSAs have undertaken, including Project Argus, in order to raise awareness of counter-terrorism in the business community and help them identify what they can do to help prevent and recover from a terrorist attack.

Vetting

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) standard and  (b) enhanced record checks were processed by the Criminal Records Bureau in each police force area in 2008-09.

Shahid Malik: The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) has issued 3,208,966 enhanced disclosures and 359,990 standard disclosures between April 2008 and February 2009. In total, the CRB has issued 3,568,956 disclosures during this time.
	The CRB cannot provide figures broken down by police force area. This is because standard disclosures are processed without any requirement for the police forces to conduct checks and several different police forces may be required to conduct checks in order to produce one enhanced disclosure.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Courts: Travel

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Solicitor-General pursuant to the answer of 1 April 2009,  Official Report, column 1209W, on courts: travel, when she plans to write to the hon. Member for Torbay.

Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
	I replied to the hon. Member on 5 May 2009 and will arrange for a copy of my letter to be placed in the Library of the House.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Carer's Allowance

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of allowing people receiving the basic state pension but who would be eligible for carer's allowance if they were under state pension age to receive full payment of both, in each of the next six years.

Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 29 January 2009,  Official Report, column 696W.

Civil Servants: Pensions

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 3 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 1446-7W, on civil servants: pensions, whether the Pensions Regulator has issued guidance in relation to investing in with-profits pension funds.

Rosie Winterton: The pensions regulator has not issued any guidance in relation to investing in with-profits pension funds.

Council Tax Benefit

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the expenditure required from the public purse to raise personal allowances for council tax benefit to £193 per week for all households, excluding households with a couple where one or both are aged 65 years or over, in circumstances where the current level of capital allowance is  (a) maintained and  (b) abolished; and if he will estimate the number of households which would pay (i) a reduced rate of council tax and (ii) no council tax as a result of such a change.

Kitty Ussher: The table shows estimates of the cost and number of council tax benefit (CTB) beneficiaries; and the saving and number of losers, if the personal allowance in CTB was £193, for all households excluding households with a couple where one or both are aged 65 years or over in circumstances where:
	Option A—Current level of capital allowance is maintained
	Option B—Current level of capital allowance is abolished
	
		
			  Increase in applicable amount  Option A  Option B 
			 Number of beneficiaries 1,910,000 2,140,000 
			 Cost in annually managed expenditure (£ million per year) 700 860 
			
			 Number of losers 110,000 110,000 
			 Saving in annually managed expenditure (£ million per year) -30 -30 
			
			 Impact on annually managed expenditure (£ million per year) 670 830 
			  Notes: 1. All figures are for Great Britain. 2. Beneficiaries and losers are rounded to the nearest 10,000. Costs and savings are rounded to the nearest £10 million. These estimates include both customers who gain/lose and those who become or lose entitlement to the benefit. 3. Each beneficiary represents a benefit unit, which can be a single claimant or a couple. 4. The impact is estimated using the Department's Policy Simulation Model for 2008-09, using data from the 2006-07 Family Resources Survey up-rated to 2008-09 prices, benefit rates and earnings levels, and is calibrated to latest published forecasts and policies. 5. Results are subject to sampling and reporting errors and estimation assumptions, and are therefore indicative only. No behavioural changes are assumed.

Council Tax Benefit

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the effect on the public purse would be of increasing personal allowances for the purposes of calculating council tax benefits to £193 per week for  (a) a single person aged 60 to 64 years,  (b) a couple, one or both of whom is aged 60 to 65 years,  (c) a single person aged under 25 years,  (d) a single person aged 25 to 60 years and  (e) a couple; and if he will estimate the effect such an increase would have on the number of council tax benefit claimants in each case.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 31 March 2009
	 Estimates of the cost and number of council tax benefit (CTB) beneficiaries; and the saving and number of losers, if the personal allowance in CTB was £193, for the following groups:
	Option 1—Single person aged 60 to 64 years;
	Option 2—Couple, one or both of whom is aged 60 to 65 years;
	Option 3—Single person aged under 25 years;
	Option 4—Single person aged 25 to 60 years;
	Option 5—Couple;
	is in the following table.
	
		
			  Change of personal allowance in council tax benefit for some groups 
			  Personal allowance in CTB  ( £193 )  Number of beneficiaries  Cost in annually managed expenditure  (£ million per year)  Number of losers  Saving in annually managed expenditure  (£ million per year)  Impact on annually managed expenditure  (£ million per year) 
			 Option 1 50,000 20 0 0 20 
			 Option 2 100,000 * 0 0 * 
			 Option 3 130,000 50 0 0 50 
			 Option 4 990,000 370 20,000 -10 370 
			 Option 5 580,000 140 90,000 -20 120 
			  Notes: 1. All figures are for Great Britain. 2. '*' Less than £5 million. 3. Beneficiaries and losers are rounded to the nearest 10,000. Costs and savings are rounded to the nearest £10 million. These estimates include both customers who gain/lose and those who become entitled to, or lose entitlement to the benefit. 4. Each beneficiary represents a benefit unit, which can be a single claimant or a couple. 5. The impact is estimated using the Department's Policy Simulation Model for2008-09, using data from the 2006-07 Family Resources Survey up-rated to 2008-09 prices, benefit rates and earnings levels, and is calibrated to latest published forecasts and policies. 6. Results are subject to sampling and reporting errors and estimation assumptions, and are therefore indicative only. No behavioural changes are assumed.

Housing Benefit

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many housing benefit recipients were social housing tenants in each of the last three years; and how many were  (a) local authority and  (b) registered social landlord tenants;
	(2)  what percentage of housing benefit recipients were social housing tenants in each of the last three years; what proportion of those were ( a) local authority and  (b) registered social landlord tenants.

Kitty Ussher: The available information is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Number of housing benefit recipients who are social housing tenants in Great Britain—2005 to 2007 
			  As at August each year  Total housing benefit  All social housing tenants  Local authority tenants  Registered social landlord tenants 
			 2005 3,981,020 3,175,470 1,744,810 1,430,660 
			 2006 4,024,280 3,163,280 1,683,830 1,479,450 
			 2007 4,040,940 3,100,350 1,625,050 1,475,290 
		
	
	
		
			  Proportion of housing benefit recipients who are social housing tenants in Great Britain—2005 to 2007 
			  As at August each year  Percentage of housing benefit recipients who are social housing tenants  Percentage of social housing tenants who are local authority tenants  Percentage of social housing tenants who are registered social landlord tenants 
			 2005 79.77 54.95 45.05 
			 2006 78.60 53.23 46.77 
			 2007 76.72 52.42 47.58 
			  Notes: 1. The data refer to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. Housing benefit figures have been rounded to the nearest ten. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 3. Figures for any non-responding authorities have been estimated. 4. Housing benefit figures exclude any extended payment cases. 5. From February 2007, DWP has been collecting more detailed HB/CTB data electronically from local authorities. Over time this will improve the accuracy, timeliness and level of detail available in the published statistics. However, until the new data have been fully quality assured to National Statistics standards, the most recent summary statistics available are for August 2007.  Source: Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System Quarterly 100 per cent. caseload stock-count taken in August 2005 to August 2007

Jobcentre Plus: Standards

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the performance of Jobcentre Plus in each  (a) region and  (b) Jobcentre Plus district against its employer outcome targets for (i) resolution, (ii) responsiveness and (iii) matching in (A) each year since the target was launched and (B) in each of the last 24 months.

Tony McNulty: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked the acting chief executive to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.

Pension Credit

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the Financial Statement of 22 April 2009,  Official Report, column 249, on what date the capital limit for pension credit will increase; for which other  (a) groups and  (b) benefits the capital limits will be changed; and on what date these other changes will take effect.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 29 April 2009
	The capital thresholds for pension credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit for those who have attained the qualifying age for pension credit will be increased from £6,000 to £10,000 bringing these into line with the threshold for those living permanently in care homes. This change will take effect from paydays in the week commencing 2 November 2009.
	The Government recognise the importance of supporting pensioners appropriately through the economic downturn. Increasing the capital threshold from £6,000 to £10,000 represents a generous increase in the thresholds and means that the proportion of pension credit recipients who will see their capital fully disregarded rises to 88 per cent. Half a million pensioners stand to gain from this change, with an average weekly gain of £4.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on implementation of provisions relating to drug users in the Welfare Reform Bill.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 24 April 2009
	DWP Ministers discuss matters of joint interest with the Secretary of State for Health including the provisions in the Welfare Reform Bill.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to provide a substantive answer to question 264368, on jobseeker's allowance and voluntary drug rehabilitation programmes, tabled by the hon. Member for Rochdale on 13 March 2009 for answer on 18 March.

Tony McNulty: I replied to the hon. Member's question on 20 April 2009,  Official Report, column 115W.

PRIME MINISTER

Cabinet: Glasgow

Dai Davies: To ask the Prime Minister for what reasons the Cabinet met in Glasgow; and what the marginal cost of holding the meeting in Glasgow was.

Gordon Brown: The visit of the Cabinet to Glasgow on 16 April 2009 was one of several ministerial visits across the region; there was a public engagement event with around 230 local people and a formal Cabinet meeting. The cost of the public engagement event and the Cabinet meeting was approximately £54,300, excluding VAT. This figure includes the cost of hiring the venue, catering, associated security and delegate management. There are no separate figures for the Cabinet meeting. In addition, Departments and agencies will have incurred costs in terms of travel, staff time and other support. The cost of any security provided by the police is a matter for the relevant police force.

Canada: Afghanistan

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister whether he has had discussions with his Canadian counterpart on the continuing deployment of Canadian troops in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Gordon Brown: We have continued to keep in close touch with our Canadian counterparts about our deployments, most recently as part of the NATO summit. I refer my hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement I made on 20 April 2009,  Official Report, columns 3-4WS.

Chequers

Francis Maude: To ask the Prime Minister whether he discussed the issue of political websites with Mr. Derek Draper at Chequers on 16 November 2008.

Gordon Brown: No.

Chequers

Francis Maude: To ask the Prime Minister on what dates  (a) Mr. Charlie Whelan,  (b) Mr. Andrew Dodgshon and  (c) Mr. Derek Draper have attended Chequers as a guest of the Prime Minister since June 2007.

Gordon Brown: A list of guests entertained at Chequers is published on an annual basis. For information for 2007-08 I refer the hon. Member to the written statement I made on 22 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 108-10WS. Information for the financial year 2008-09 will be published in the usual manner.

Damian McBride

Dai Davies: To ask the Prime Minister with reference to his letter of 13 April to the Cabinet Secretary on the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, from whom he received assurances that no Minister and no political adviser other than Mr. McBride had knowledge of or involvement in the emails sent by Mr. McBride regarding members of Her Majesty's Opposition and their families.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the letter from the Cabinet Secretary of 21 April 2009 to the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr. Maude), a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many enhanced blast munitions have been fired in Afghanistan in each year since 2007.

John Hutton: The only enhanced blast weapons used by UK forces in Afghanistan are variants of the AGM-114N Hellfire missile. This was released into service in spring 2008 and so there were none fired prior to May 2008; however, the number of enhanced blast munitions fired on operations in Afghanistan during 2008-09 is provided in the following table.
	
		
			   Total fired 
			 2008 20 
			 2009 23

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK civilian contractors are currently stationed in Afghanistan.

Quentin Davies: As at 28 April 2009 there were some 300 UK civilian contractors stationed in Afghanistan supporting UK operations.

Armed Forces: Housing

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2009,  Official Report, column 20W, on armed forces: housing, if he will make an assessment of the reasons for the changes in numbers of houses at grade  (a) one and  (b) four for charge between 2005 and 2007.

Kevan Jones: Given the way Grade for Charge data is collated officials need to identify and analyse information to answer this question. I will write to the hon. Member when this work is complete and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
	 Substantive answer from Kevan Jones to Willie Rennie:
	Further to my answer of 17 March 2009 (Official Report, column 970W) I promised to write to the hon. Member when we had identified the reasons for the changes in numbers of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties at each Grade for Charge (GfC) in 2005 and 2007.
	GfC is the methodology used to determine the level of charges for each SFA property and takes into account various factors including condition, size, environmental and locational factors.
	Our analysis has shown that the changes in the worldwide SFA GfC totals between 2005 and 2007 were mainly due to changes in the Great Britain figures, which are provided in the table below.
	
		
			  GB SFA  2005  2007 
			 Number of SFA at G1fC 13,774 9,907 
			 Number of SFA at G2fC 18,779 19,029 
			 Number of SFA at G3fC 13,569 15,437 
			 Number of SFA at G4fC 4,065 5,538 
			 Total 50,187 49,911 
		
	
	All SFA is subject to a rolling audit, where its GfC is assessed by Grading Boards at least once every four years. The reasons why properties have been re-graded are not centrally recorded and to provide this level of detail would require the collation and analysis of large amounts of data from across the Department, incurring disproportionate effort and cost. However a number of factors go into calculating grade for charge including: size, provision of Key Amenities condition and environmental factors like noise.
	Standard for Condition (SfC) has been the Department's preferred measure for assessing a property's physical condition. For comparison purposes, GB SFA was at the following SfC in 2005 and 2007 are provided in the table below.
	
		
			  GB SFA  2005  2007 
			 Number of SFA at S1fC 26,426 29,691 
			 Number of SFA at S2fC 20,774 17,910 
			 Number of SFA at S3fC 2,792 2,165 
			 Number of SFA at S4fC 195 145 
			 Total 50,187 49,911 
		
	
	Further to my Written Ministerial Statement on 17 March (Official Report, column 970W) regarding the new condition survey of SFA, it should be noted that the above SfC figures reflect the data collected from previous condition surveys.

Cycling

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) service personnel and  (b) civil servants in his Department participate in a cycle-to-work scheme.

Kevan Jones: My Department has a strong commitment to cycle to work schemes in support of the MOD climate change strategy. During 2008-09, 322 Service personnel used cycles for their home to duty travel. Similarly during 2008-09, 336 interest-free loans were authorised for civilians to purchase cycles for commuting to work. In addition, at present 94 civilians have joined the MOD Defence Science and Technology Laboratory's cycle to work scheme which leases out cycles to staff using a salary sacrifice mechanism.

Departmental Consultants

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on consultancy contracts in 2008-09.

Quentin Davies: This information is intended for future publication and will be placed in the Library of the House before the summer recess, as is our usual practice.

Ex-servicemen

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on the use of service facilities by ex-servicemen's clubs.

Kevan Jones: Ex-servicemen's clubs may use spare capacity in service facilities where this is compatible with operational requirements. Where publicly-funded facilities are provided the Department would normally be required to recover its costs; however, where there are justifiable benefits to defence, consideration can be given to abating the costs.

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements his Department made for the transfer of the remains of Sappers Azimkar and Quinsey from Northern Ireland; whether the remains were transported in military aircraft; at which airfield the flight carrying the remains arrived, and on what date and at what time; what ceremonies were observed on arrival of the remains at the destination airfield; and who comprised the official party receiving the remains.

Kevan Jones: The bodies of Sappers Azimkar and Quinsey were returned from Northern Ireland to the mainland on 13 March 2009 in a similar manner to that which has been used over the past 35 years. A memorial service was conducted at Massereene Barracks by members of 38 Engineer Regiment before the bodies were transported to Belfast International Airport by the MOD Funeral Directors, Dignity. They were flown back to London Heathrow on Aer Lingus Flight ECI 032 which departed from Belfast at 0740 in the morning and arrived at 0950. The flight was met by Kenyons, the MOD Funeral Directors. The body of Sapper Quinsey was then passed from Kenyons to the family's appointed Funeral Directors, Co-Op, in Birmingham. Sapper Azimkar's body was taken by private ambulance to Kenyons in London, who were appointed by the Azimkar family as their Funeral Directors.

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions his Department had with media outlets on the media coverage of arrangements made for the funerals of Sappers Azimkar and Quinsey.

John Hutton: We routinely discuss media attendance at the funerals of Service personnel with the families of those who have died and with media organisations. We aim to minimise any distress that might be caused to families, friends and former colleagues by media coverage.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Church of Scientology

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) of 31 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1047W, on the Church of Scientology, whether the Church of Scientology is recognised as a religion for the purposes of  (a) council tax exemption Class H and  (b) business rate exemptions.

John Healey: It is for individual local authorities to decide whether Class H exemption from council tax applies in any case. The Department does not have information about those decisions as they relate to the Church of Scientology. It is for the valuation officers of the Valuation Office Agency to decide whether any hereditament is a place of public religious worship which is exempt from non-domestic rates in accordance with Paragraph 11 of Schedule 5 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988.

Community Development

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons funding for the Inspiring Communities programme is restricted to 64 local authority areas.

Sadiq Khan: Inspiring Communities is intended particularly for neighbourhoods where low aspirations have been identified as a barrier to young people achieving their potential. It is being targeted at deprived neighbourhoods and the 64 local authority areas are eligible to apply because on the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) 2007 they either have:
	10 per cent. or more of their Lower Super Output areas (statistical units of average 1,500 population) in the most deprived 10 per cent. in England; or
	20 or more Lower Super Output Areas in the most deprived 10 per cent. in England.

Community Development

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the functions are of the regional neighbourhood training and resources centres.

Sadiq Khan: The seven Neighbourhood Training and Resource Centres (NTRCs) in operation were originally set up by CLG to promote a unified approach to neighbourhood wardens by providing support and training to existing and new warden schemes. Over the last two years they have been diversifying, and now offer a broad range of training and advice services for people and projects operating at a neighbourhood level. The aim is to deliver improved neighbourhood working and increased community empowerment in order to achieve more resilient and sustainable neighbourhoods.

Community Relations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent steps her Department has taken to increase levels of community cohesion.

Sadiq Khan: We have demonstrated our ongoing commitment to community cohesion with a £50 million investment over three years and a public service agreement (PSA 21) to build cohesive, active and empowered communities. In addition to financial support we are working to support local authorities in delivering improvements in cohesion by providing a framework of guidance and targeted local support.
	The latest part of this guidance framework was delivered in January 2009 and contains guidance on Meaningful Interaction and Building a Local Sense of Belonging, and summarises what we already know about the benefits of interaction and a local sense of belonging and how it can be achieved.
	In addition, in we have also published an inter faith framework. Supported by a funding commitment of over £7.5 million, it aims to maintain and further develop good relations between faith communities and wider civil society.

Council Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been spent under each budgetary heading on the Review of Council Housing Finance; and how many civil servants have provided support to the review.

Iain Wright: The review has spent £200,000 on external research and £186,000 on other activity—primarily to ensure maximum stakeholder input into the review. The Chartered Institute of Housing facilitated the delivery of 12 stakeholder workshops and three regional events in Bristol, Birmingham and Leeds. Stakeholders included local authorities, academic experts, housing practitioners, tenants and key sector representatives. Communities and Local Government also held separate seminars for national and regional tenant organisations during the review.
	The review team consists of five civil servants in my Department and two from HM Treasury. They have been supported by other civil servants from both Departments and by a secondee from a local authority.

Council Housing: Rents

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have responded to the consultation on the Draft Housing Revenue Account Subsidy Determination 2009-10 Amending Determination 2009 to the effect that they are considering taking up the offer of reducing rents for appropriate compensation.

Iain Wright: 173 local authorities have responded positively to the consultation. We are currently reviewing all responses received, and having discussions with those who have not responded, before preparing an amending Housing Revenue Account Subsidy Determination 2009-10 for issue later this month.

Council Tax: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what account was taken by the Valuation Office Agency of the Lands Tribunal decision of Baker (Valuation Officer) (VO) v Citibank NA 2007 in its council tax valuation methodology, in relation to new hereditaments and material changes of circumstance.

John Healey: The case of Baker (VO)  v. Citibank LT 2007 confirmed the principle that a change in the boundaries of a hereditament created a new hereditament. This principle applies for council tax as it does for non-domestic rating.

Council Tax: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what property data from the stamp duty land tax database are used by the Valuation Office Agency for the purposes of  (a) council tax valuations and  (b) populating the automated valuation model with data.

John Healey: Data on property transactions are provided to the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) by the Stamp Taxes Office of HM Revenue and Customs. These data are used by the VOA  (a) to assist staff in maintaining council tax valuation lists and  (b) as an input to its automated valuation modelling.

Councillors: Accountancy

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 12 March 2009,  Official Report, column 737W, on councillors: Arun, what plans the Audit Commission has to require other local authorities to disclose the bank account details of councillors held in their payroll databases.

Sadiq Khan: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given on 17 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 1101-02W, 20 April 2009,  Official Report, columns 423-24W and 6 May 2009,  Official Report, column 232W.

Councillors: Complaints

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance  (a) her Department and  (b) the Standards Board has issued on whether anonymous complaints against councillors should be considered by a Standards Committee; and what guidance has been given on whether anonymous complaints making potentially defamatory claims should be recorded in public minutes.

John Healey: The Department does not issue guidance on the conduct regime. The Standards Board for England's guide for authorities on the local standards framework includes specific guidance on the handling of anonymous complaints, making it clear that anonymous complaints should only be considered if supported by evidence indicating an exceptionally serious matter. The guidance also provides that some details of any complaint considered should be made public following the decision as to whether or not it should be investigated, but these details need not contain the name of the subject of the complaint.

Departmental Consultants

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 17 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1102W, on departmental consultants, what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the high-level seminar to engage senior leaders organised by McKinsey and Company.

Sadiq Khan: The Communities High-Level Seminar (and the follow up work arising from the event) made a significant contribution to the successful development and implementation of the new local performance framework. This included the introduction of the National Indicator Set; publication of the National Improvement and Efficiency Strategy; agreement of 150 Local Area Agreements and the introduction of the Comprehensive Area Assessment.

Departmental Consultants

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 17 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1102W, on departmental consultants, how much her Department has paid to McKinsey and Company in the last 36 months; and for what projects.

Sadiq Khan: In addition to the work set out in the answer given to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 17 March 2009, McKinsey and Company also undertook two other pieces of work for the Department during this period:
	A Review of DCLG Communications (July 2006). The value of this contract was £93,500 excluding VAT;
	A Study of Local Strategic Partnership Performance and Capacity Building (September 2006). The value of this contract was £93,500 excluding VAT.

Departmental Manpower

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she plans to reduce the use of  (a) agency staff,  (b) interim staff,  (c) contractors,  (d) consultants,  (e) inward secondments and  (f) outward secondments in her Department's headquarters building in the next six months.

Sadiq Khan: In 2009-10 as in the previous year, our Administration Budget is planned to fall by 5 per cent. in real terms. Against this background, the Department will continue looking at the scope for making reductions in these areas and will take action where appropriate to reduce use of these staff. We currently have no plans to reduce the number of inward and outward secondments taking place.
	The use of these groups of staff is appropriate in certain circumstances as a temporary measure. For example, agency and interim staff can be used to provide short-term additional support during heavy periods of work in key areas. Contractors or consultants may be used as and when specialised skills—not easily found within the Department—are required for time-specific projects.
	There are controls in place within HR and Procurement to ensure that all recruitment takes place in accordance with the Department's business needs and in line with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department's end year flexibility entitlement was in 2008-09; what percentage of that entitlement has been taken up; for what programmes that funding will be used; and how much funding has been allocated to each programme.

Sadiq Khan: The following tables set out the Department's End Year Flexibility entitlement for 2008-09 for each of its two departmental expenditure limits (DEL) and the take up of end year flexibility during the year.
	
		
			  Main programmes departmental expenditure limit (DEL) 
			  £ million 
			   Resource  Capital 
			 End year flexibility (EYF) 2008-9 184.805 397.145 
			 Take up of EYF—Winter supplementary estimates central administration costs 8.644 0.000 
			 Spring supplementary estimates 0.000 0.000 
			 Remaining 176.161 397.145 
			 Percentage taken up 5 0 
		
	
	
		
			  Local government departmental expenditure limit (DEL) 
			  £ million 
			   Resource  Capital 
			 End year flexibility (EYF) 2008-9 106.837 418.069 
			 Take up of EYF—Winter Supplementary Estimates Local Government Public Services Agreement Estimates 0.000 82.000 
			 Spring Supplementary Local Government Public Services Agreement 10.000 10.000 
			 Invest to Save Special Grant 0.410 0.000 
			 Remaining 96.427 326.069 
			 Percentage taken up 10 22 
		
	
	On Local Government DEL, the resource EYF from 2007-08 was understated by £10 million due to an error in the published version of the Public Expenditure Provisional Outturn White Paper.

Departmental Visits Abroad

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many overseas visits were made by staff in her Department in the last 12 months; and what the  (a) destination and  (b) purpose was in each case.

Sadiq Khan: In the 12 months to 31 March 2009 there have been 582 overseas trips undertaken by Communities and Local Government staff. Of the 582 trips there were 529 to Europe; 27 trips to North America, six trips to Australia and 20 trips to Asia.
	The purpose of these journeys was to represent the Department and provide expert advice on policy/subject issues.
	All travel is undertaken in accordance with the civil service management code.

District Councils

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department has commissioned any recent research on the financial viability of district councils in two-tier areas.

John Healey: While the Department has not commissioned any such research, in our 2006 Local Government White Paper—Strong and Prosperous Communities—we recognised that some district councils are too small to have the capacity to secure efficiency, drive change and provide strong leadership.

Economic Situation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield of 18 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1174W, on the economic situation, if she will place in the Library a copy of the presentation and handouts provided at the event held on  (a) 7 January 2009,  (b) 5 February 2009 and  (c) 26-27 February 2009.

Sadiq Khan: One departmental presentation was made at the Home Builders Federation seminar held on 7 January 2009. A copy of this presentation will be placed in the Library. The other speakers at these events were from external stakeholders, who are responsible for their own presentations and handouts
	One presentation was made at the Homeowners Mortgage Support scheme development workshop on 5 February 2009. A copy of this presentation will be placed in the Library.
	A range of speakers from external stakeholders were invited to present their views at the Housing Roundtables held on 26-27 January 2009. External stakeholders are responsible for their own presentations and handouts.

Economic Situation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield of 2 April 2009,  Official Report, columns 1498-502W, on departmental conferences, if she will place in the Library a copy of the presentations and handouts produced for the Arms-Length Bodies in Finance networking event on 4 December 2008.

Sadiq Khan: Two presentations were made at the Arms-Length Bodies in Finance networking event on 4 December 2008. Copies of the presentations will be placed in the Library.

Empty Dwelling Management Orders

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield of 24 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 543-4W, on empty dwelling management orders, if she will place in the Library a copy of each ruling of the Residential Property Tribunal Service in relation to the issuing of each of the interim empty dwelling management orders with sensitive personal data redacted.

Iain Wright: Copies of the rulings of the Residential Property Tribunal Service (RPTS) in relation to all applications for interim empty dwelling management orders have been placed in the Library. 24 interim orders have now been approved and seven applications for interim orders have been rejected. The rulings are in the public domain and can be viewed on the RPTS website at:
	www.rpts.gov.uk/decisions

European Commission

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department and its predecessors have paid in financial corrections to the European Commission since May 1997.

John Healey: The Department has incurred €51 million in financial corrections since 1997 on European programmes worth over €11 billion to England.

Fire Alarms

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criteria apply in the valuation of fire alarms for ratings purposes in the 2010 rates revaluation.

John Healey: A hereditament is rateable to the extent that it comprises land, buildings and rateable plant and machinery.
	Plant and machinery items deemed rateable must be named in the Valuation for Rating (Plant and Machinery) Regulations 2000 (SI 2000/540), which can be found at:
	http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2000/20000540.htm

Food

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make an estimate of the  (a) monetary value and  (b) quantity of waste food disposed of from her Department's premises in the last 12 months.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not dispose of waste food. The Department operates a food waste composting scheme in its main headquarter building, Eland House, and during the last 12 months the scheme avoided the disposal of 25 tonnes of food waste from the general waste stream. The waste food was instead sent for composting and re-use as organic material.
	The Department does not hold sufficient data to estimate the monetary value of waste food redirected in the last 12 months.

Geographical Information Systems

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Valuation Office Agency is taking to comply with the recommendations contained in the report, Place matters: the location strategy for the United Kingdom.

John Healey: There are no recommendations in the report that require specific steps to be taken by the Valuation Office Agency.

Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she plans to publish the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix returns for 2008-09; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: The provisional publication date for the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix returns for 2008-09 is for November/December 2009.

Housing

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what external  (a) companies and  (b) consultants have been contracted by her Department to promote housing market renewal pathfinders; and how much had been spent on such contracts on the latest date for which figures are available.

Iain Wright: CLG has not contracted external companies or consultants to promote HMR pathfinders. It is for individual pathfinders to decide if they wish to promote their own activity and this information is not held centrally.

Housing: Low Incomes

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many social tenants in each local authority area have bought a share in their home through the Social HomeBuy scheme to date.

Margaret Beckett: The following table shows the number of Social HomeBuy sales in each local authority area between April 2006 and March 2009. Social HomeBuy is a voluntary and demand-led scheme in which only some social landlords chose to participate. It is one of a suite of options designed to help social tenants into home ownership. Purchasers can buy shares of between 25 and 100 per cent.
	
		
			  Social Homebuy  s ales 
			  Local authority area  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09( 1)  Total 
			 Adur — 1 — 1 
			 Allerdale — 1 3 4 
			 Ashford — — 1 1 
			 Barking and Dagenham — 0 1 1 
			 Barnet — — 1 1 
			 Basingstoke and Deane — 3 — 3 
			 Bexley — 2 2 4 
			 Birmingham — 2 6 8 
			 Bradford 3 2 1 6 
			 Brent — 5 1 6 
			 Brighton and Hove 1 0 — 1 
			 Bromley — 5 2 7 
			 Burnley — — 1 1 
			 Camden — — 1 1 
			 Cheltenham — 1 — 1 
			 Chorley 3 1 — 4 
			 Copeland — 1 6 7 
			 Coventry 0 2 1 3 
			 Crawley — 7 — 7 
			 Croydon(2) 6 3 8 17 
			 Dudley — — 1 1 
			 Durham — 1 — 1 
			 Ealing — 3 — 3 
			 Eastbourne — 2 — 2 
			 Eastleigh — 1 — 1 
			 Enfield — 2 — 2 
			 Greenwich — 5 — 5 
			 Hackney 2 12 1 15 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 10 4 1 15 
			 Haringey — — 1 1 
			 Hart — 2 — 2 
			 Hertsmere — 1 1 2 
			 Hillingdon 2 0 — 2 
			 Hounslow — 5 — 5 
			 Islington — — 2 2 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 3 7 2 12 
			 Kingston upon Hull 6 0 — 6 
			 Knowsley — — 1 1 
			 Lambeth — — 1 1 
			 Leeds 2 2 — 4 
			 Leicester — 1 — 1 
			 Lewisham — 1 — 1 
			 Liverpool — 1 — 1 
			 Luton — — 1 1 
			 Manchester 1 15 — 16 
			 Merton — — 1 1 
			 Middlesbrough 1 3 — 4 
			 Milton Keynes — 1 — 1 
			 Newham — 2 9 11 
			 North Hertfordshire — 1 — 1 
			 Oldham — 1 7 8 
			 Pendle — 1 — 1 
			 Plymouth — 1 — 1 
			 Redcar and Cleveland — 1 — 1 
			 Richmond upon Thames — 1 — 1 
			 Rochdale — — 1 1 
			 Sefton — 13 — 13 
			 Sevenoaks — — 1 1 
			 Sheffield — 1 — 1 
			 South Tyneside 1 2 1 4 
			 Southampton — — 2 2 
			 Southend-on-Sea — 1 — 1 
			 Southwark(3) — 21 4 25 
			 Sunderland — — 6 6 
			 Tameside — — 1 1 
			 Test Valley — 1 — 1 
			 The Wrekin — 2 3 5 
			 Tower Hamlets — — 2 2 
			 Tunbridge Wells — — 4 4 
			 Waltham Forest 1 0 4 5 
			 Wellingborough 3 1 — 4 
			 Welwyn Hatfield — 1 — 1 
			 West Berkshire — 1 2 3 
			 Westminster — 1 — 1 
			 Wirral — — 3 3 
			 Woking 1 1 — 2 
			 Wychavon — — 1 1 
			 York 1 1 — 2 
			 Total 47 160 99 306 
			 (1) Provisional.(  2) Croydon sales figure in 2008-09 include four sales by the local authority.  (3) Southwark sales figures include five sales by the local authority, three in 2007-08 and two in 2008-09.

Housing: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes in England there are with a GG value significant code according to Valuation Office Agency records.

John Healey: The VOA has not undertaken a comprehensive exercise to gather value significant coding information on all domestic dwellings in England.

Local Government

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which councils are pathfinders for new two-tier models of joint working.

John Healey: Four county areas—Buckinghamshire, Dorset, Hertfordshire and Lincolnshire—are currently enhanced two-tier working pathfinders. This includes the following councils:
	
		
			  County area  Councils involved 
			 Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire County Council 
			  Aylesbury Vale District Council 
			  Chiltern District Council 
			  South Bucks District Council 
			  Wycombe District Council 
			   
			 Dorset Dorset County Council 
			  Christchurch Borough Council 
			  East Dorset District Council 
			  North Dorset District Council 
			  Purbeck District Council 
			  West Dorset District Council 
			  Weymouth and Portland Borough Council 
			   
			 Hertfordshire Hertfordshire County Council 
			  Borough of Broxbourne Council 
			  Dacorum Borough Council 
			  East Herts Council 
			  Hertsmere Borough Council 
			  North Hertfordshire District Council 
			  St. Albans City and District Council 
			  Stevenage Borough Council 
			  Three Rivers District Council 
			  Watford Borough Council 
			  Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council 
			 Lincolnshire Lincolnshire County Council 
			  East Lindsey District Council 
			  City of Lincoln Council 
			  North Kesteven District Council 
			  South Holland District Council 
			  South Kesteven District Council 
			  West Lindsey District Council

Local Government Finance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what measure of council tax the Office for National Statistics uses to make comparisons between the tax and spending levels of local authorities.

John Healey: Information on council tax and local authority revenue expenditure is given in table 5 of the statistical release, "Local authority revenue expenditure and financing England: 2007-08 Final Outturn" available at:
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/stats/ro0708fin.pdf

Local Government Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what powers to levy fines have been conferred on local authorities by her Department and its predecessors since 2003.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Peterborough (Mr. Jackson) on 12 March 2009,  Official Report, column 744W.

Local Government Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department has issued to local authorities on special expenses in unparished areas; and whether the percentage increase in council tax including special expenses is taken into account by her Department in determining whether to cap a local authority.

John Healey: Communities and Local Government have not issued guidance to local authorities on special expenses in unparished areas. For capping purposes special expenses are taken into account.

Local Government Finance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 29 April 2009,  Official Report, column 1372W, on local government finance, on what date she expects to write to local authorities inviting bids for funding; what the maximum grant level will be; and when she expects to begin processing such applications.

Iain Wright: The Homes and Communities Agency will shortly be inviting local authorities to bid for this funding, and will announce at the same time the timetable for decisions. There will be no maximum grant level set; bids will be assessed on value for money.

Local Government Finance: Departmental Coordination

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which Government departments and agencies participate in the regional funding allocation process in respect of regional assemblies and local authorities.

John Healey: The current regional funding advice exercise is being led jointly by Her Majesty's Treasury, the Department for Transport, the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and my Department. Guidance on the exercise was issued by these Departments in July 2008 and can be found at
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/regional_funding_ advice300708.pdf
	The guidance states that regions' advice will be valuable in informing decisions in the areas of transport, housing and regeneration, economic development and skills and that regions should consult with stakeholders that deliver relevant outcomes.

Local Government: Bank Services

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her latest estimate is of the proportion of deposits held by local authorities in Icelandic banks that will be returned; what the timetable is for the return of such deposits; and whether interest will be paid.

John Healey: The administrators of Heritable and KSF, and the Resolution Committees of Glitnir and Landsbanki have made public their own estimates of what percentage of the principal and interest might be repaid in each case and by when.

Local Government: Databases

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make it her policy to support the Mash the State campaign to encourage the accessibility of data held by local authorities.

John Healey: This is a voluntary initiative and it is a matter for individual local authorities to provide information to their citizens in whichever ways are most appropriate to meet the needs of their citizens. However, the Government supports the general principle of this campaign to encourage the accessibility of local authority data. To this end, as was announced in the Communities in Control White Paper in 2008, we have developed the Timely Information to Citizens project, including approximately £1.2 million funding for around 20 pilot projects to support the development and take-up of good practice for local authorities on provision of information to their citizens. This project includes encouragement and support for local authorities to make the information held in their systems available for reuse by others.

Local Government: Databases

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress her Department has made in achieving its target of a 30 per cent. reduction in data collections from local authorities to date; which data collections have stopped; and which data collections continue to be collected.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) on 19 January 2009,  Official Report, column 1080W.

Local Government: Inspections

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent estimate she has made of the direct and indirect costs of local government inspection to  (a) local and  (b) central government.

John Healey: The Audit Commission, which is sponsored by the Department for Communities and Local Government, is the only inspectorate of local government to charge a fee element to authorities for inspection. The reply I gave to the hon. Member for Wellingborough (Mr. Bone) on 3 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 1547-48W, set out the estimated costs relating to the Audit Commission 2008-09 comprehensive performance assessment inspection programme for local authorities. There are no definitive figures to calculate the indirect costs of inspection to local government (such as staff time). The Department does not hold information about the costs of inspection of local authorities by other local services inspectorates.

Local Government: Planning Permission

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what rights  (a) parish and  (b) town councils have to (i) comment on planning applications and (ii) make recommendations to the planning authority.

Iain Wright: Parish and community councils, including town councils, and the councillors who serve them, play an important role in our democratic planning system.
	As prescribed in Article 13 of the Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) Order 1995, parish or community councils can have a specific role in the decision making process for planning applications. It becomes a statutory duty on a local planning authority to notify the parish council about relevant applications, if the parish itself requests such notification. The purpose of notification is to invite comments, on specific applications.
	The local planning authority may not determine a planning application until either a parish intending to comment has done so, or at least 21 days have elapsed following notification. The local planning authority must take into account any timely and relevant comments when reaching its decision. Its decision and the reasons for it must also be made publicly available.

Local Government: Public Consultation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons publication of the results of the Place survey has been postponed until June 2009.

John Healey: Before confirming publication arrangements for the Place Survey the Department is conducting a review to ensure the data are of sufficient quality. This is a responsibility that the Department takes very seriously. It is vital that the general public as well as the local government community can have trust in all official statistics that are used to measure local government performance. The review is being structured around the principles laid out in the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, published in January this year by the UK Statistics Authority.
	As soon as we are in a position to do so we will pre-announce a publication date via the United Kingdom Statistics Authority website.

Non-domestic Rates

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many hereditaments have a rateable value of  (a) between £10,000 and £15,000 in each Government Office Region outside London and  (b) between £10,000 and £21,500 in London, according to Valuation Office Agency records.

John Healey: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  2005 Rating List as at 31 March 2009 
			   Number of hereditament s  over £10,000 or under £21,500  
			  Government office region  Under £15,000  Under £21,500  Number of hereditaments 
			 East Midlands Yes No 13,404 
			 East of England Yes No 18,430 
			 London No Yes 59,508 
			 North East Yes No 6,361 
			 North West Yes No 21,175 
			 South East Yes No 27,670 
			 South West Yes No 17,201 
			 Wales Yes No 8,517 
			 West Midlands Yes No 17,031 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Yes No 15,785

Non-Domestic Rates: Licensed Premises

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the Valuation Office Agency's guidance notes and advice for the rating of licensed premises for the 2010 rates revaluation.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 24 November 2008,  Official Report, column 966W.

Official Hospitality

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 17 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1103W, on departmental ministerial policy advisers, whether her Department keeps a register of the  (a) declared interests of and  (b) gifts, hospitality and benefits in kind received by special advisers.

Sadiq Khan: The Department records declarations of interest, and maintains information about gifts and hospitality received by its staff, including special advisers, in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Service Management Code.

Planning Permission

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the latest timetable is for the introduction of a new version of planning guidance PPS6 to  (a) abolish the needs test and  (b) introduce a competition test.

Iain Wright: On 5 May 2009 we published a consultation draft Planning Policy Statement 4 (PPS): "Planning for Prosperous Economies". This brings together all of the Government's key planning policies relating to the economy in both urban and rural areas into one single document, creating a coherent and modern set of policies designed to meet the economic challenges we face both now and over the longer term. This new PPS incorporates "draft PPS 4: Planning for Sustainable Economic Development"; "PPG 5: Simplified Planning Zones"; "PPS 6: Planning for Town Centres"; and the economic development policies in "PPS 7: Sustainable Development in Rural Areas". We have also published a 'living draft' of town centres practice guidance to support the consultation PPS. The consultation documentation for the draft PPS and further details about how to respond are available on the Department's website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planning andbuilding/consultationeconomicpps
	The draft practice guidance and further details about how to submit comments are available on the GVA Grimley website at:
	www.gvagrimley.co.uk/towncentresgoodpracticeguide
	The draft PPS does not introduce a competition test. Following the Order made by the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) dated 3 April 2009, the Competition Commission (CC) is to reconsider certain aspects of the competition test they proposed as a result of their inquiry into the groceries market. The CC has undertaken to complete this work within the next six months. Government will then consider any revised recommendations made to it.

Regional Assemblies

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which Regional Assemblies and their successor bodies have offices in  (a) Brussels and  (b) Strasbourg; and what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of such offices in 2008-09.

John Healey: No regional assembly or successor body has a sole office in either Brussels or Strasbourg. However there are offices for each region in Brussels which are funded by a wide range of partners. The East of England and North West offices are managed by the respective assembly and successor body on behalf of a group of regional partners.
	The costs of running these offices are drawn from a wide range of bodies. Records on these costs are not centrally held.

Regional Assemblies: Costs

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the cost of the regional assemblies in England is in 2009-10.

John Healey: The estimated cost of the regional assemblies and successor bodies for 2009-10 is £18 million.

Regional Planning and Development

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent progress has been made on the National Improvement and Efficiency Strategy.

Sadiq Khan: The National Improvement and Efficiency Strategy was produced to support councils, as leaders of place, working with their local partners to deliver better outcomes, improve the quality of life in places and provide better public services. It commits urban and local governments and making it easier for councils and their partners to access the right support at the right time.
	Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships have been successfully launched and their 1st Annual Reports highlight around £100 million of efficiency savings in their first year and significant support to improve performance. They increasingly are providing councils with the mechanism to have a simply conversion for regional improvements needs in their locality.
	In the 'Prospectus 2008: the guide to improvement and efficiency support' we set out a comprehensive picture of the support which central and local government are providing to local partners. This document provides a valuable practical tool to help make this happens.

Regional Planning and Development: Green Belt

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer of 2 April 2009,  Official Report, columns 1509-10W, on regional spatial strategies, if she will revoke the elements of each regional spatial strategy which specify removal or undermining of green belt protection.

Iain Wright: Regional Spatial Strategies (RSSs) prepared by regional planning bodies set the framework for green belt policy and settlement policy for each region, forming the strategic planning context for local plan making by local planning authorities. The policies expressed in RSSs relating to green belts have been drafted in accordance with national planning guidance set out in Planning Policy Guidance 2 Green Belts.
	Further, green belt policy like all policies contained in RSS is subject to testing through an independent examination at the Examination in Public (EiP), the EiP is also chaired by an independent Chair.
	The RSSs do not contain policies which would lead to the removal or undermining of the protection of existing green belt; they do contain policies to carry out reviews of green belt in accordance with PPG2 Green Belts.

Rented Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average length of tenure for a tenant of a house in the  (a) registered social landlord and  (b) local authority sector was in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: Estimates of the average length of residence of tenants at their current address in  (a) the registered social landlord sector and  (b) the local authority sector for each year from 1997-98 to 2006-07 are provided in the table. These estimates are based on data from the Survey of English Housing.
	
		
			  Average length of residence at current address, social sector tenants, England, 1997-98 to 2006-07 
			  Years( 1) 
			   Tenure 
			   Local authority  Registered social landlord 
			 1997-98 12.9 8.4 
			 1998-99 13.0 8.4 
			 1999-2000 13.3 8.0 
			 2000-01 13.6 8.7 
			 2001-02 13.3 9.6 
			 2002-03 14.3 9.9 
			 2003-04 13.8 10.2 
			 2004-05 13.4 10.3 
			 2005-06 14.3 10.7 
			 2006-07 13.5 10.7 
			 (1) Years are given in decimal format, for example the 0.9 in 12.9 refers to 9/10 of a year.  Source: Communities and Local Government, Survey of English Housing.

Social Rented Housing

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in which local authority areas her policy of reducing social housing rents areas will be applied; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today UIN 272345 to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman).

Trade Unions

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 9 March 2009,  Official Report, column 37W, on trade unions, what office facilities  (a) her Department and  (b) each of its agencies provide for the exclusive use of each recognised trade union; and what the notional monetary value of such provision was in 2008-09.

Sadiq Khan: The Department and its executive agencies provide recognised trade unions with the following office facilities:
	
		
			  Unit  Facilities  Notional cost per year (£) 
			 Communities and Local Government HQ Two offices, with four desks, computers, telephones, fax, printer, separate meeting room, stationery and notice boards 58,096.00 
			 QEII Conference Centre There are no office facilities provided 0 
			 Fire Service College One office, with a desk, computer, telephone and printer 1,200.00 
			 Planning Inspectorate One office, computers, photocopiers, fax machines and telephones, stationery and notice boards 29,000.00

Unitary Councils

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will estimate the level of savings to the public purse expected to result from the introduction of new unitary authorities.

John Healey: Whilst we have not estimated the level of savings that would be expected from introducing unitary authorities across England, the nine new unitary councils established on 1 April, which provide services to around 13 per cent. of the population of the two tier areas that existed in England prior to that date, are on track to make savings of over £100 million per annum once they are fully up and running, as well as having new opportunities for redesigning service delivery and simplifying partnership working. Local government in Wales, which is a devolved matter, has been wholly unitary since 1996.

Valuation Office

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will list those local billing authorities which do not communicate with the Valuation Office Agency through the Valuebill and e-BAR interface.

John Healey: All billing authorities use the Valuebill interface. There are 57 billing authorities who have not submitted any of their Billing Authority Reports (BARs) using the e-BAR facility.
	They are:
	Med Bedfordshire
	Luton
	Bedford
	Cambridge
	Fenland
	South Cambridgeshire
	Peterborough
	Broxbourne
	East Hertfordshire
	North Hertfordshire
	St. Albans
	Three Rivers
	Tendring
	Uttlesford
	Southend-on-Sea
	North Norfolk
	Babergh
	Ipswich
	Mid Suffolk
	St. Edmundsbury
	Derbyshire Dales
	Derby
	Charnwood
	Harborough
	Hinckley and Bosworth
	Melton
	North West Leicestershire
	City of Leicester
	Boston
	Lincoln
	North Kesteven
	South Holland
	South Kesteven
	Corby
	Daventry
	East Northamptonshire
	Northampton
	South Northamptonshire
	Mansfield
	Newark and Sherwood
	Nottingham
	Barking and Dagenham
	Barnet
	Ealing
	Enfield
	Harrow
	Hillingdon
	Bolsover
	Chesterfield
	Erewash
	High Peak
	North East Derbyshire
	South Derbyshire
	Wellingborough
	Ashfield
	Bassetlaw
	Broxtowe

Valuation Office

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Valuation Office Agency plans to publish its location-related datasets.

John Healey: No.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Subsidies

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many Single Payment Scheme stage one appeals are being processed by the Rural Payments Agency; how many of them have been subject to processing for more than  (a) 90 days,  (b) 120 days and  (c) 150 days; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: At 28 April 2009 the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) had 117 Single Payment Scheme stage 1 appeals under consideration of which 73 had been considered for less than 90 days.
	Nine cases had been considered for up to 120 days; a further six for up to 150 days and 29 for more than 150 days.
	The RPA aims to consider an appeal and notify the decision within 90 days, however given the complexity of some of the cases, which require additional legal and policy advice, this is not always possible to achieve.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much  (a) matched and  (b) unmatched funding available to England from the EU agriculture budget was not taken up in each year since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: DEFRA is not responsible for the administration of all of the funding available to England from the EU budget.
	The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Apprentices

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 9 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1585W, on apprentices, what progress has been made on increasing the number of apprentices in his Department; and how many apprentices his Department employs.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA has been actively looking for opportunities to recruit apprentices and to offer apprenticeship opportunities to existing DEFRA staff. The number of apprentices in DEFRA and its agencies at 31 March has increased to 16, of which 12 are part of the Pathfinder apprenticeship programme, and four are non-Pathfinder apprenticeships based at Kew Gardens.
	DEFRA is actively looking for more opportunities in 2009-10 significantly to increase this number in core DEFRA and its agencies. An official has been allocated to this agenda, and is liaising with both the core Department and the agency network to ensure that DEFRA is doing all that it can to support this work. The Department is actively engaged with colleagues in Jobcentre Plus to identify ways in which development opportunities can be offered to unemployed citizens, in particular those sometimes viewed as 'harder to reach' such as the long-term unemployed.

Dairy Farming

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of farm holdings where dairy is the predominant activity in each year since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: The number of holdings where dairy is the predominant activity are shown in the following table for each year since 1997.
	
		
			   Thousand holdings 
			 1997(1) 18.0 
			 1998(1) 17.0 
			 1999(1) 16.3 
			 2000 15.5 
			 2001 14.3 
			 2002 14.5 
			 2003 13.8 
			 2004 13.3 
			 2005 12.9 
			 2006(2) 11.1 
			 2007(2) 10.6 
			 2008(2) 10.1 
			 (1) Data prior to 2000 are for main holdings only. Figures from 2000 onwards include main and minor holdings. (2) Until 2006, cattle populations were derived from the annual June Survey of Agriculture. Since June 2007, they have been sourced from administrative data—the cattle tracing system. The farm types have been recalculated on this basis for June 2006 onwards.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many officials in his Department are suspended; how many are suspended on full pay; for how long each has been suspended; and what the reasons are for any such suspensions.

Huw Irranca-Davies: There are currently four people within the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who are suspended. Because it is such a small number, we cannot give further details because of the possibility of identifying individuals.
	Suspensions are considered in line with DEFRA's disciplinary policy and procedures. These reflect the central framework set out in the Civil Service Management Code and they are available to all staff via the Department's intranet.

Departmental ICT

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the  (a) energy consumed by,  (b) energy cost of and  (c) carbon dioxide emissions from each category of IT device in each division of his Department in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: No measurements were taken or estimated in 2004, 2005, 2006 or 2007.
	In 2007 DEFRA commissioned its strategic supplier IBM to trial the use of ISO 14064 to provide an initial IT footprint assessment for the Department. This provisionally identified for April 2008 that IT in use across DEFRA and all its Executive agencies had an annual footprint of:
	 (a) 12 million kwH
	 (b) Costing £1.08 million (at 9p per kwH)
	 (c) Emitting 6 ktonnes CO2
	Subsequently as part of the Department's response to the launch of the HMG Green ICT Strategy in July 2008, IBM were commissioned to undertaken a feasibility study of the actions the Department could take to meet the 2012 target for carbon neutrality for ICT in use across the estate and to prepare its roadmap. The study team was asked to provide a more detailed assessment of the ICT footprint for the Department to provide a robust baseline for the roadmap. Preliminary figures from the draft report issued in April 2009 indicate that for 2008-09 core DEFRA and all its Executive agencies have an annual footprint for IT in use of:
	 (a) 12.5 million kwH
	 (b) Costing £1.13 million
	 (c) Emitting 6.5 ktonnes CO2
	An exercise has also been undertaken to re-align the April 2008 figures with the revised DEFRA organizational structure as at April 2009 and with an increased scope for the footprint that now includes telephony. This has established a footprint for 2007-08 of:
	 (a) 12.3 million kwH
	 (b) Costing—£1.11 million
	 (c) Emitting 6.4 ktonnes CO2
	A breakdown of the above figures by device type is not currently available but a breakdown of energy consumption in million kwH is provided as follows of the broad device categories that were assessed i.e. work space assets used in the office, and data space assets e.g. servers and network assets used in the office and in off-site data centres.
	
		
			  Million kwH 
			   Original 2008 footprint study  Re-aligned 2008 footprint  2009 footprint 
			 Office space 2.6 2.8 2.9 
			 Data space 9.4 9.5 9.6 
			 Total 12.0 12.3 12.5

Departmental Rail Travel

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance his Department has issued to its staff on claims for travel in first class carriages on trains if there are no seats in standard class.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Rules relating to travel claims are set out in the Civil Service Management Code, which can be accessed at:
	http://beta.civilservice.gov.uk/about/work/codes/csmc/index.aspx
	DEFRA's travel policy is that staff are discouraged from travel in first class carriages on trains if the journey is less than 2.5 hours in duration. An upgrade is permitted when it is not possible to reserve a seat in standard class and no standard class seat is available. All staff are encouraged to book tickets for travel at the earliest opportunity in order to obtain travel discounts and travel cost savings.

Elephants: Conservation

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent reports he has received of elephant poaching in Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) signatory countries in contravention of CITES.

Huw Irranca-Davies: I am aware of continuing concerns about elephant poaching and the recent ivory seizure in Vietnam. The UK has helped fund both the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS) and the Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) programmes under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). We expect to receive an update on illegal elephant trade at the next Conference of CITES Parties in 2010.

Farmers: Income

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 23 April 2009,  Official Report, column 816W, on farmers: income, how many farm businesses had an income of less than £10,000 in 2007-08.

Jane Kennedy: The following table shows the estimated number of farms with a Farm Business Income(1) (FBI) of less than £10,000 since 2003-04, based on the sample of farms included within the Farm Business Survey. Farm Business Income is the preferred measure of income but is not available for earlier years. Equivalent data are therefore also shown for Net Farm Income(2 )(NFI) for the entire period.
	
		
			   Number of farms with less than £10,000 FBI  Number of farms with less than £10,000 NFI 
			 1997-98 n/a 34,000 
			 1998-99 n/a 37,500 
			 1999-2000 n/a 36,500 
			 2000-01 n/a 35,500 
			 2001-02 n/a 30,500 
			 2002-03 n/a 28,500 
			 2003-04 17,500 22,500 
			 2004-05 22,000 27,500 
			 2005-06 21,500 28,500 
			 2006-07 20,000 26,000 
			 2007-08 15,500 21,500 
			  Source:  Farm Business Survey, England(3) 
		
	
	(1) Farm Business Income represents the financial return to all unpaid labour (farmers and spouses, non-principal partners and directors and their spouses and family workers) and on all their capital invested in the farm business, including land and buildings.
	(2) Net Farm Income is defined as the return to the principal farmer and spouse alone for their manual and managerial labour and on the tenant type capital of the business. An imputed rent is deducted for owner-occupied farms as is a charge for other unpaid labour.
	(3 )The Farm Business Survey sample covers businesses with a Standard Labour Requirement (SLR) of at least 0.5, i.e. a size considered sufficient to occupy a farmer for at least half their working time.

Flood Control

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will publish the programme of measures to be undertaken by individual water companies to secure critical infrastructure from flood risk; and what the  (a) start and  (b) expected end date of each such project is.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Water companies submitted their final business plans to Ofwat on 7 April. These plans included proposals to secure critical infrastructure from flood risk. Summaries of individual companies' plans, and web links to the full plans, can be accessed via the Ofwat website:
	www.ofwat.gov.uk/pricereview/pr09phase3/sub_fbp_ pr09partasumm
	Ofwat is currently scrutinising these plans ahead of issuing draft determinations of water price limits for consultation in July.

Flood Control

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with  (a) water companies and  (b) Ofwat on programmes to protect critical infrastructure from flood risk.

Huw Irranca-Davies: I received a joint briefing from Ofwat, the Environment Agency, Natural England and the Drinking Water Inspectorate on 27 April on water and sewerage companies' final business plans, which were submitted to Ofwat on 7 April. This included discussions on resilience.
	Ofwat is currently scrutinising companies' final business plans ahead of issuing draft determinations of water price limits for comment in July.

Flood Control

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the current level of risk from flooding to critical infrastructure of  (a) reservoirs and dams,  (b) electricity sub-stations,  (c) gas power stations,  (d) pumping stations and  (e) other critical infrastructure.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Natural Hazards Team, charged with co-ordinating efforts to identify and counter risks to national infrastructure from natural hazards, has now been established in the Civil Contingencies Secretariat in the Cabinet Office.
	The team's first priority will be to assess the vulnerability to flood risk of key elements of the national infrastructure, which includes energy and water assets. This information will be used to prioritise flood resilience building in the national infrastructure. This work is expected to be completed in July 2009 and be published in sector resilience plans, along with proposed resilience measures, by the end of 2009.

Flood Control

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations he has received on the works required to protect critical infrastructure from flooding; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA Ministers and officials maintain regular contact with water companies and representative bodies on a range of issues. This includes discussions concerning the resilience of critical infrastructure from flooding.

Flood Control

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects the latest Environment Agency maps of flood risk areas to be published.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Environment Agency provides local updates of flood risk maps on its website on a quarterly basis. The latest update took place on 26 March 2009.
	The Environment Agency plans to publish the latest national flood risk assessment information on its website in the spring. This will provide a major upgrade to the Environment Agency's flood risk maps.

Floods: Insurance

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with the Association of British Insurers on development in flood risk areas; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Secretary of State has not had any formal meetings with the Association of British Insurers (ABI) recently. However, he was present at the recent launch of the draft Flood and Water Management Bill on 21 April at the Flood Forecasting Centre, along with ABI representatives.
	I have had two recent meetings with ABI. I met with Stephen Haddrill on 10 March, and was then invited to give a keynote address at the recent ABI event in the House of Commons on 28 April.
	DEFRA officials regularly meet with ABI representatives to discuss progress against commitments made under the ABI Statement of Principles on the Provision of Flood Insurance.

Hill Farming

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the average age of a hill farmer.

Jane Kennedy: The latest information we have available indicates that in 2007 the average age of a farm holder in the Less Favoured Areas (LFAs) in England was 59 years.
	These data are sourced from the 2007 EU Farm Structure Survey.

Oil: Waste Disposal

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department has had discussions at EU level on the implications for the implementation of the provisions of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 in respect of the status of waste oil of the ruling of the  (a) European Court of Justice in the case of ARCO Chemie in 2000 and  (b) Court of Appeal in the case of OSS Group v. Environment Agency in 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The Arco Chemie case is discussed in the "Interpretative Communication on waste and by-products" published by the European Commission on 21 February 2007. The UK participated in the written consultation which the Commission carried out with member states on a draft of that communication.
	DEFRA has not to date had discussions at EU level on the case of the OSS Group  v. Environment Agency. With the aim of fulfilling the Appeal Court's judgment in that case, the Environment Agency carried out a public consultation on an end-of-waste protocol for "the production and use of processed fuel oil from waste lubricating oil". On conclusion of the Agency's consideration of the responses to that consultation, the Government will submit a post-consultation draft of the protocol to the European Commission, and other member states, in compliance with the Technical Standards Directive (98/34/EC).

Recycling

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research his Department has carried out into the effectiveness of local authority recycling schemes; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: Neither DEFRA nor the Waste and Resources Action Programme has undertaken any research into the effectiveness of local authorities' recycling schemes.

Renewable Energy: Waste

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many end of waste cases have been submitted to the Environment Agency since January 2007; which manufacturers have had their product certified as having reached end of waste by the Environment Agency since that date; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The Environment Agency and the DEFRA-funded Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) are working to develop 'end of waste' quality protocols that can identify when certain waste materials can be considered to be 'recovered' and no longer subject to waste management controls.
	Since January 2007, 17 waste materials have been included in the programme. To date, quality protocols have been fully developed and published for two materials; compost from source-segregated biodegradable waste, and the production of cullet from waste flat glass.
	The Environment Agency and WRAP do not certify products produced by manufacturers, but provide a framework for manufacturers to follow which will enable them to state with confidence that the material produced is no longer waste.

Renewable Energy: Waste

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs at what level of rated thermal input a Part 1A permit is required under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2007 for the combustion of  (a) fuel manufactured from waste,  (b) fuel manufactured from waste which has attained an End of Waste certificate,  (c) diesel and  (d) hazardous waste; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The relevant thresholds are given in schedule 1, part 2, of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 and are as follows:
	 (a) Fuel manufactured from waste
	Section 1.1 Part A(1) (a) 50 MW
	Section 1.1 Part A(1) (b) 3-50 MW.
	The relevant section will be dependent upon the specific type of material being burnt.
	 (b) Fuel manufactured from waste which has obtained an end of waste certificate
	The term 'end of waste certificate' is not used in the 2007 regulations. There is, therefore, no threshold set in the 2007 regulations for this type of fuel.
	 (c) Diesel
	Section 1.1 Part A(1) (a) 50 MW.
	 (d) Hazardous waste
	The burning of 'hazardous waste' would fall under section 5.1 which does not refer to 'rated thermal input'. The thresholds in this section are based on tonnages of waste; however, it should be noted that for the burning of hazardous waste there is no "de minimis".

Rural Development Programme

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 12 March 2009,  O fficial Report, column 674W, on agriculture: subsidies, how much funding has been allocated under Axis 3 of the Rural Development Programme England 2007-2013 to village renewal and development to date.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Since the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) was formally approved in December 2007, £4.03 million has been allocated (i.e. committed to projects or programmes of investment) under axis 3 of the Rural Development Programme for England 2007-13 to village renewal and development.(1)
	(1) Data provided by regional development agencies.

Sea Level

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department has made predictions of changes in sea levels over the next 50 years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Climate change is projected to increase the frequency, variability and magnitude of flooding and coastal erosion in the UK. The DEFRA funded UK Climate Impacts Programme published scenarios in 2002 which included a range of relative sea level rise of between 9 cm and 69 cm over a 50-year period.
	Following this, DEFRA published revised supplementary guidance to operating authorities in 2006 with allowances that varied over time as well as location. This amounted to between 30 cm and 40 cm of relative sea level rise, depending on location, for the period between 1990 and 2055. DEFRA's supplementary guidance also indicated that by 2100, relative sea levels could rise between 79 cm and 98 cm, depending on location.
	The Environment Agency, working with the Met Office Hadley Centre, has developed projections of sea level rise for the Thames Estuary 2100 project. This suggested that relative sea levels in the Thames estuary are likely to rise by between 20 cm and 88 cm, by 2100.
	The UK Climate Projections 2009, expected to be launched shortly, will include a Marine Report providing information on possible future sea level rise and surge.

Sea Level

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the effects on the economy of expected changes in sea levels in the next 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: We do not expect significant sea level rise within the next 10 years. DEFRA's supplementary guidance on climate change impacts for flood and coastal operating authorities estimates that between now and 2019, sea levels could rise by between 25 mm and 40 mm along English and Welsh coastlines, depending on location.
	The UK Climate Projections, due to be launched in summer 2009 (UKCP09), will provide data on a range of climate variables, such as temperature and precipitation. The marine report also includes sea level rise and storm surge projections up to 2099 for three emissions scenarios. DEFRA will be reviewing its supplementary guidance in the light of UKCP09.
	DEFRA is conducting a UK climate change risk assessment and adaptation economic analysis (CCRA and AEA) of the impacts of climate change. This will assess current and future vulnerability to a range of climate variables, including sea level rise, and quantify the risks and opportunities of these impacts across sectors, such as agriculture, water and the built environment. The CCRA and AEA will provide products to HM Government, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to:
	Understand the level of risk (likelihood and scale of impact) and compare the risk of a changing climate with other pressures on the Government;
	Prioritise adaptation policy geographically and by sector; and
	Assess the costs and benefits of adaptation actions and support the case for resources for these.
	The CCRA and AEA project is due to start in summer 2009 and is due to report to Parliament by January 2012 (as required by the Climate Change Act 2008).

Water

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he has had recent discussions with representatives of water companies on the potential need for hosepipe bans in the next six months.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA Ministers have not had any discussions recently with representatives of water companies on the need for hosepipe bans in the next six months. Water companies have powers to impose temporary hosepipe bans without recourse to Ministers.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Equality and Human Rights Commission: Pay

Paul Goodman: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what the  (a) pay band and  (b) cash equivalent transfer value is of each member of the senior management board at the Equality and Human Rights Commission; and if she will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The information asked for under  (a) will be part of the Equality and Human Rights Commission's annual report and accounts for the transition period of October 2007 to March 2008. The Commission intend that the annual report is laid before Parliament before the summer recess.
	The cash equivalent transfer value information  (b) will also appear in the remuneration report section of the annual report and accounts.

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Apprentices:

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  how many new apprenticeship places in the agriculture sector have been created in the last 12 months;
	(2)  how many new apprenticeship places in the retail sector have been created in the last 12 months.

Si�n Simon: There were 4,500 apprenticeship starts in 2007-08 in the 'agriculture, horticulture and animal care' sector subject area, the latest academic year for which full year information is available.
	There were 49,300 apprenticeship starts in 2007-08 in the 'Retail and Commercial Enterprise' Sector Subject Area, the latest academic year for which full year information is available.
	The Government are committed to rebuilding apprenticeships. Since 1997 we have witnessed a renaissance in apprenticeships from a low point of 65,000 to a record 225,000 apprenticeship starts in 2007-08. Completion rates are also at a record high with 64 per cent. successfully completing an apprenticeshipup from 37 per cent. in 2004-05.

Further Education: Overseas Students

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many further educational establishments accepted non-EU students in the last year for which information is available; how many further education establishments were inspected in the latest year for which information is available; and how many failed that inspection.

Si�n Simon: holding answer 5 May 2009
	DIUS does not collect information on the number of further education establishments who accept non-EU students. However, data returned to the Data Service show that there were 392 FE establishments with non-EU domiciled learners undertaking some form of further education in the 2007-08 academic year. This is based on country of domicile information (the country where the learner has been ordinarily resident for the three years preceding the start of the programme).
	Ofsted data show that 95 LSC-funded general further education and sixth form colleges were inspected by Ofsted between April 2008 and March 2009. Of these, the published results show that five colleges were graded inadequate for overall effectiveness and are therefore judged to have failed inspection.

Research Councils: Finance

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what guidance his Department has issued to the research councils on the expenditure of money which they save as a result of the value for money savings identified in the Budget 2009.

David Lammy: The Department has given no instructions to the research councils.
	The Research Councils have told us that they have revised their plans for value-for-money efficiencies for CSR07 which has resulted in the collective target for 2010-11 increasing from 243 million to 349 million. The resulting money is to be reinvested by the Research Councils in priorities to be identified by the Research Councils.
	On 6 April, the Research Councils made public areas their initial views on areas for focus:
	Green economy
	Life science sector (including health and food)
	Digital economy
	High-value manufacturing systems and services
	Cultural and creative industries

Vocational Training

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many people have completed training funded by his Department in each month since June 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Si�n Simon: In the 2007-08 academic year 2,960,300 people achieved at least one qualification funded by the Learning and Skills Council. This includes qualifications achieved through study at a Further Education provider, and those achieved through an Apprenticeship or Train to Gain programme.
	Data on the number of people achieving a qualification are only published on an academic year basis. The latest provisional estimate of mid-year performance (1 August to 31 January) for the 2008-09 academic year shows that 49,100 learners completed an apprenticeship, and 152,000 learners achieved a qualification through the Train to Gain programme.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Children in Care: Mentally Ill

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what provision the Government has made for children in care with chronic and severe mental health disorders; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The Government are addressing the problems faced by children in care with chronic or severe mental health needs through a range of measures including taking forward the recommendations of the CAMHS review in relation to vulnerable children and piloting the Multi-dimensional Treatment Foster Care programme for children in care with severe and complex needs. We will shortly be publishing for consultation proposals on promoting the health of looked after children through revised statutory guidance. This will require CAMHS services to provide targeted and specialist services to looked after children where there is an identified local need. Since April 2008 all local authorities have to screen children in care for emotional and behavioural difficulties through use of a Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and in partnership with primary care trusts provide support where the screening shows this is necessary.

Children in Care: Personal Records

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families for how long local authorities are required to keep records of children in care.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Local authorities are required to keep case records for looked after children until the 75(th) anniversary of the child's date of birth or 15 years from the date of death in the case of a child who dies before reaching the age of 18.

Foundation Schools

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families in what circumstances a foundation school may be closed by a local education authority; what powers he has to prevent such a closure; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: School place planning is the statutory responsibility of the local authority (LA). This includes making sure there are sufficient school places, and also removing surplus places when this is required. To facilitate this, LAs have the power to propose the closure of any type of maintained mainstream school, including foundation schools.
	Where the LA proposes to make any changes to local school provision, including closure, they must follow a statutory process, which is then decided under established local decision making arrangements. Ministers have no direct role in the process.
	Decisions are normally taken by the LA. However, in the case of a foundation school closure there are certain rights of appeal. Where they do not agree with a LA's closure decision, the school's governing body, trustees and local Dioceses each have a right of appeal to the independent schools adjudicator, who will then consider the proposals 'afresh'. The adjudicator's decision is final.

Pupils

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the End of Key Stage attainment levels achieved by pupils in schools in England who have been living in the UK for less than two years; and whether such attainment levels are included in results published by schools.

Jim Knight: We have made no separate assessment of the attainment of these pupils.
	Individual pupils recently arrived from overseas with little or no English can be removed at a school's discretion from the data we use for calculations in the Department's Achievement and Attainment Tables, provided they meet all of the following criteria:
	(for the 2008 tables) they were admitted to an English school for the first time on, or after, the start of the 2006-07 school year; and
	they arrived from overseas prior to their admission; and
	their first language is not English
	Schools may present their own performance data in any way they choose i.e. either including or excluding the results of such pupils.

Sixth Form Education: Finance

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much  (a) total and  (b) transitional protection funding for sixth forms for academic year 2009-10 was identified in letters to sixth forms dated (i) 3 March 2009 and (ii) 30 March 2009.

Jim Knight: This is a matter for the LSC, and they will be writing to the hon. Member shortly. Following the announcement in the Budget of 655 million of additional funding the LSC have written to schools and colleges to give them immediate reassurance that they will receive the funding for the learners they have already planned for and outline the next steps.

Special Educational Needs

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 27 April 2009,  Official Report, column 1148W, on special educational needs, to which departmental capital and revenue funding streams non-maintained special schools have access.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: For the 2009-10 financial year non-maintained special schools have access to the following funding streams:
	 Capital
	Devolved Formula Capital
	 Revenue
	Schools Standards Grant
	School Standards Grant (Personalisation)
	Standards Fund
	Teacher Threshold Payments
	Harnessing Technology Grant
	A small number of school are also eligible for School Travel Grant

Sure Start Programme: Leicestershire

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what funding was allocated for SureStart provision in Leicestershire in  (a) 2006-07,  (b) 2007-08,  (c) 2008-09 and  (d) 2009-10.

Beverley Hughes: The SureStart funding allocated to Leicestershire local authority from 2006-07 to 2009-10 is given in the following table.
	
		
			   
			   Revenue  f unding  Capital  f unding  Total  f unding 
			 2006-07 720,223 3,571,042 4,291,265 
			 2007-08 1,641,054 8,621,763 10,262,817 
			 2008-09 9,387,852 7,464,637 16,852,489 
			 2009-10 11,448,975 5,139,063 16,588,038 
			 Total 23,198,104 24,796,505 47,994,609 
		
	
	In 2006-07 and 2007-08 Leicestershire local authority chose to pool its revenue funding in a local area agreement which was paid by the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG, formerly the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, ODPM) as part of the LAA grant revenue. This funding was not ring fenced to SureStart activities; Leicestershire local authority had the freedom to spend the funding pooled in its local area agreement in line with local priorities. Therefore the allocation shown for 2006-07 and 2007-08 contains only pilot funding and money to transform the early years workforce which was the funding paid through the SureStart grant.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Biofuels

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the level of imports of biomass necessary to enable the Government's biomass targets as specified in the Renewable Energy Strategy consultation 2008 to be met.

Joan Ruddock: In its Consultation on a Renewable Energy Strategy, Government published figures estimating that there is potentially sufficient domestic resource to meet nearly all our modelled bioenergy requirement for heat and electricity in 2020 but we recognise that, as occurs today, it is likely that we will make use of a mix of domestic and imported products.
	We are in the process of furthering our understanding of how the biomass market to supply the UK may develop and intend to use this information to inform development of the Renewable Energy Strategy. We will, of course, publish our findings.

Biofuels

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the evidential basis is for the statement in paragraph 7.5.35 of the Renewable Energy Strategy consultation 2008 that one of the principal constraints to achieving the infrastructure for biomass envisaged in that paper is public hostility to combustion plant, particularly those burning waste.

Joan Ruddock: Anecdotal evidence, correspondence received and the Government's experience of challenges to its waste PFI projects demonstrate that there is considerable hostility in some quarters to the combustion of waste. This is a common experience throughout Europe.

Green Neighbourhoods Initiative

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) of 5 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1806W, on the Green Neighbourhoods Initiative, for what reasons the scheme is still in development; how much funding will be allocated to the scheme; and what the timetable is for the allocation of funding to participating neighbourhoods.

Joan Ruddock: Green Neighbourhoods is currently under review. Following the Budget 2009 announcements we anticipate a decision on Green Neighbourhoods being made within the next few weeks.

Renewable Energy: Heating

Charles Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many renewable heating products have been accredited by Ofgem under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target programme.

Joan Ruddock: A total of 545 heat pumps and 216 m2 of solar water heating have so far been installed in the first year of the obligation. All measures are accredited before installation.

TREASURY

Aggregates Levy

Greg Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how much the Exchequer has received from the aggregates levy in each month since its introduction;
	(2)  how many  (a) staff and  (b) full-time equivalent staff of HM Revenue and Customs work on matters related to the aggregates levy.

Angela Eagle: Aggregates levy monthly revenue figures are available at this website address:
	http://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=Bulletins
	No HM Revenue and Customs staff work on aggregates levy matters exclusively. Those that work on the levy have a range of responsibilities.

Bank Services

Kate Hoey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in the UK have  (a) a basic bank account,  (b) a bank account and  (c) no bank account.

Ian Pearson: The Government are committed to reducing financial exclusion and increasing the number of people who can manage their money by using a bank account.
	The Family Resources Survey data for 2006-07, published in June last year, show that the number of adults with a basic bank account was around 2.5 million and that the overall number of adults with access to a bank account was 44.6 million. The data also show that the number of adults without access to a bank account fell from 2.8 million in 2002-03 to 2.1 million in 2006-07.
	The Financial Inclusion Taskforce recently published its third annual report on access to banking. The report contains profiles of the number of people in the UK without access to a bank account, including commentary and figures for the take up of basic bank accounts. The report is on the Taskforce's website:
	http://www.financialinclusion-taskforce.org.uk

Bank Services: Overseas Residence

Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what regulatory restrictions exist on the opening of a bank account in the United Kingdom by non-domiciled British citizens.

Stephen Timms: There are no statutory legal or regulatory restrictions preventing banks from providing services to non-domiciled, or non-resident, British citizens.

Bradford and Bingley

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what UK Financial Investment's role in the preparation of the most recent Bradford and Bingley Business Plan was; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: As set out in the Shareholder Relationship Framework Document which governs the relationship between Bradford and Bingley and HM Treasury as shareholder, HM Treasury designed the high level objectives that the Business Plan is designed to achieve and agreed the Business Plan with the Board.
	The Shareholder Relationship Framework document is available at:
	www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/bradford_bingley_shareholder_ framework.pdf

Business: Government Assistance

Peter Luff: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many applications Capital for Enterprise Ltd. has received from banks to join the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme; and how many such applications  (a) have been processed and  (b) are outstanding.

Ian Pearson: In launching the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme (EFG) all the 31 lenders accredited to deliver the Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme (SFLG) were approached to participate in the new scheme.
	To date, 26 lenders have migrated across, with the remaining five SFLG lenders either undecided or have decided not to participate in the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme.

Departmental Air Conditioning

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how much has been spent by his Department on carrying out inspections of air conditioning systems within departmental buildings in accordance with the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 since the Regulations came into force;
	(2)  how many of his Department's buildings are equipped with air conditioning systems with output greater than 250kW; how many of these systems have been inspected under the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 since the Regulations came into force; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each inspection report.

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 23 February 2009,  Official Report, column 317W, to the hon. Member for Tunbridge Wells (Greg Clark).
	Copies of the Advisory Reports and their associated display energy certificates in respect of each property were placed in the Library at that time. The cost of these reports was 5,400.

Economic and Monetary Union

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of each meeting the Euro Steering Committee held in the last 24 months.

Ian Pearson: The last meeting of the Euro Ministers Steering Group was held on 6 June 2007. The Government's policy on membership of the single currency remains unchanged.

Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to be in a position to  (a) set a timetable for the opening of the ex-gratia payments scheme for Equitable Life policyholders to receipt of claims,  (b) estimate the length of time to be taken for the determination of claims made under that scheme and  (c) establish mechanisms for considering disputed claims made under that scheme.

Ian Pearson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam (Mr. Burstow) on 16 March 2009,  Official Report, column 856W.

EU Emissions Trading Scheme

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what plans he has to allocate future revenues raised through the auctioning of allowances under the  (a) second and  (b) third phase of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  where revenue raised through the auctioning of allowances from the EU Emissions Trading Scheme is accounted for in  (a) the Red Book and  (b) general accounts published with the Budget Statement; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Any revenue raised through the use of auctioning is considered as part of general revenue streams, and has already been factored into public finance forecasts. These revenues cannot be allocated as a separate income source without an equivalent reduction to the public finance forecasts. The spending review process ensures that resources are allocated efficiently to deliver Government objectives.
	Auction receipts from the EU emissions trading scheme are included in the 'Other taxes and royalties' line in Table C6 in Budget 2009, available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/Budget2009/bud09_ chapterc_463.pdf
	and in Table 2.9 of 'Budget 2009: the economy and public financessupplementary material', available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/Budget2009/bud09_ econfinances_968.pdf

Government Departments: Aviation

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to OGC buying.solutions contract, reference RM645, which company won the contract for the Government Air Programme; and what the  (a) monetary value and  (b) duration of the contract is.

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr. Maude) on 24 April 2009,  Official Report, column 985W.
	No company has yet won the Framework Agreement for the Government Air Programme. The planned award is set for June 2009.
	The Framework Agreement will be awarded for a two-year period with the option to extend for a third year.

Inheritance Tax: Housing

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer at what stage in the process of the payment of inheritance tax the Valuation Office Agency undertakes a valuation of the property forming part of the inherited estate.

Stephen Timms: It is HM Revenue and Customs' standard practice to seek the advice of the Valuation Office Agency about the value of UK land and buildings where inheritance tax is payable. In the great majority of cases this happens shortly after the inheritance tax papers are received in the operational office following the issue of the grant of probate to the personal representatives of the estate.

Mass Media

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what media appearances  (a) he and  (b) each other Minister in his Department has made since 1 January 2009.

Angela Eagle: Treasury Ministers undertake a number of visits, interviews and appearances on a wide range of issues.
	The information requested is not collected centrally.

Members: Correspondence

John Baron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Billericay of 27 March 2009 on his constituent, Mr. T. Lewer.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 5 May 2009
	I have replied to the hon. Member.

Members: Correspondence

Simon Burns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Chelmsford of 15 December 2008 concerning his constituent, Ms Pippa Cuckson of Great Leighs, Chelmsford.

Stephen Timms: Due to the large volume of correspondence received on these issues there has been a delay in sending some responses. The Financial Services Secretary hopes to be in a position to reply to the hon. Member shortly.

Pre-Budget Report 2008: Disclosure of Information

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will request the Security Commission to undertake an investigation into the unauthorised disclosure of information relating to taxation measures in the Pre-Budget Report 2008.

Angela Eagle: It has been the policy of successive Administrations not to comment on the initiation of, content of, or outcome of any such inquiries.

Revenue and Customs: Closures

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the implementation of HM Revenue and Customs' (HMRC's) Workforce Change programme on the average yield per annum brought in by an HMRC compliance officer.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not collect the information asked for. Annual yield and yield/cost ratio figures are published in the departmental autumn performance report, available at:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/autumn-report-2008.pdf
	The implementation of HMRC's Workforce Change programme enables business efficiencies by matching HMRC's staff resources and estate to future business needs. It is one of many factors in HMRC's reorganisation and strategy that together have resulted in a continuous improvement in yield in each of the last three years for which figures are available.
	
		
			million 
			 2005-06 9,001 
			 2006-07 11,430 
			 2007-08 12,853

Revenue and Customs: Pay

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff are employed on work contracted out by HM Revenue and Customs in  (a) each region of England,  (b) Scotland,  (c) Wales and  (d) Northern Ireland; and what percentage in each case are paid less than 7.45 per hour for that work.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs does not have the information requested.

Royal Mail: VAT

David Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the implications for Royal Mail of the recent European Court of Justice ruling on value added tax liabilities; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The Government welcome the Court's confirmation that postal services provided by Royal Mail, as the only UK universal service provider, will continue to be exempt from VAT. HM Revenue and Customs are considering the implications of the judgment in detail.

Tax Allowances: Pensions

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of tax relief on pension contributions goes to  (a) basic and  (b) higher rate taxpayers.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 23 February 2009
	A break down of tax relief on individual and employee contributions broken down by the individual's marginal tax rate is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Marginal income fax rate  Percentage of tax relief 
			 Higher rate 65 
			 Those that would be higher rate without the tax relief 5 
			 Others 30 
			  Note: This distribution is based on 2006-07 Survey of Personal Incomes data that has been adjusted to account for the 2008-09 tax rates. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5 per cent. 
		
	
	It is not possible to provide such a breakdown for employer contributions.

Tax Allowances: Personal Pensions

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much income tax relief was payable in respect of personal pension contributions for income taxed at  (a) 40 per cent. and  (b) 20 per cent. in 2006-07.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 22 January 2009
	The amount of income tax relief at the basic rate in respect of personal pension contributions was estimated to be 790 million in 2006-07. The amount of income tax relief in respect of those taxed at the higher rate was 2,430 million in 2006-07.
	These figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 million and relate to contributions by employees and the self-employed only. They are based on 2006-07 survey data. It is not possible to provide such a breakdown for employer contributions.

Tax Allowances: Personal Savings

Harry Cohen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason the higher annual ISA investment limit will be available only to those aged 50 years and above for the tax year 2009-10.

Ian Pearson: The Government recognise that low interest rates, which are benefiting many people with mortgages, have meant that savers have seen their return from savings fall. In particular, this has affected people who are retired, or are beginning to prepare for retirement, who are more reliant on their savings income to meet day-to-day needs or fund discretionary purchases.
	As announced in Budget 2009, the Government are therefore taking targeted action now to help people aged 50 and over with their savings. The ISA limits are being raised for those aged 50 and over from 2009-10, enabling them to move more of their savings into a tax-advantaged ISA, rewarding those who have saved by improving their
	returns.
	The Government also recognise that people need to be supported to save as the economy emerges from the downturn, and therefore the ISA limits will increase to the same level for all savers from April 2010.

Taxation: Bingo

Ian Gibson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effect on the bingo industry of the changes to taxation announced in the 2009 Budget;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the net change in revenue to the Exchequer from changes to the taxation of bingo clubs announced in the 2009 Budget.

Angela Eagle: The estimated revenue impacts of the changes to the taxation of bingo are set out in Table A1 of the 2009 Financial Statement and Budget Report. The revenue impacts of the relevant Budget measures are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   million, +ve is an Exchequer yield 
			Indexed  Non-indexed 
			  Measure number  Description  2009-10  2010-11  2011-12  2009-10 
			 47 Gambling participation fees removal of VAT -50 -55 -60 -50 
			   
			 49 Bingo duty: increase rate to  22 per cent. +35 +35 +35 +35

Taxation: Bingo

Don Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much accrued to the Exchequer in taxes on gross profits made by the bingo industry in each of the last five years.

Angela Eagle: HM Revenue and Customs publishes receipts from bingo duty on the UKTradeInfo website:
	https://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm.?task=bullbett

Taxation: Bingo

Don Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to Table A1 of the Budget 2009 Red Book, item 49, how much HM Treasury received in value added tax from the bingo industry in each of the last five years.

Angela Eagle: HM Revenue and Customs does not collect data on VAT from individual goods and services.
	However, it is possible to estimate the amount of VAT paid by the bingo industry based on bingo duty receipts. In 2008-09, the bingo industry is estimated to have paid around 65 million in VAT on bingo participation fees.

Taxation: Pensioners

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  with reference to the answer of 11 February 2004,  Official Report, columns 1490-1W, on pensions (tax relief), if he will estimate the amount of tax relief on pension contributions provided in each financial year since 2003-04  (a) in total and  (b) for (i) higher rate taxpayers and (ii) basic rate taxpayers;
	(2)  if he will estimate the number of taxpayers receiving pension tax relief at the  (a) higher and  (b) basic rate in each year since 2003-04; and what percentage of all taxpayers below state pension age these figures represent in each case.

Ian Pearson: Estimates of total tax relief on pension contributions from 1998-99 to 2007-08 can be found at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/pensions/table7-9.pdf
	Estimates of relief attributable and number of taxpayers receiving relief by marginal rate are only available for employee and individual contributions. These estimates, along with the proportion of taxpayers receiving relief, are given in the following tables.
	It is not possible to provide such a breakdown for employer contributions.
	
		
			  Table 1: Total amount of tax relief and higher rate relief 
			Higher rate 
			   Total amount of tax  r elief ( million)  Amount of tax relief at HR ( million)  Number in receipt (thousand)  Number receiving a s a proportion of all taxpayers below SPA only (percentage) 
			 2003-04 5,400 2,700 2,200 9 
			 2004-05 5,700 3,200 2,400 9 
			 2005-06 6,600 3,800 2,500 9 
			 2006-07 7,500 4,700 2,800 11 
			 2007-08 7,800 4,900 2,900 11 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Total amount of tax relief and non-higher rate relief 
			Non-higher rate 
			   Total amount of tax relief ( million)  Amount of tax relief at BR ( million)  Number in receipt (thousand)  Number receiving as a proportion of taxpayersbelow SPA only (percentage) 
			 2003-04 5,400 2,600 11,500 48 
			 2004-05 5,700 2,500 10,700 42 
			 2005-06 6,600 2,800 9,800 37 
			 2006-07 7,500 2,800 12,100 46 
			 2007-08 7,800 2,900 12,200 46 
			  Notes: 1. Figures up to 2006-07 are based on the Survey of Personal Incomes in that year. 2. Figures for 2007-08 are based on the Survey of Personal Incomes in 2006-07 projected forward one year in line with pre-Budget 2008 report. 3. Figures for the amount of tax relief have been rounded to the nearest 100 million. 4. Figures for the number in receipt have been rounded to the nearest 100,000. 5. While the total amount of relief and number in receipt includes some individuals over state pension age, these individuals have been excluded from the final column showing the number receiving as a proportion of taxpayers below state pension age.

Valuation Office: Conferences

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 9 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 1629-30W, on Valuation Office: overseas visits, if he will place in the Library a copy of the presentation and handouts produced by the representative of the Valuation Office Agency at the  (a) Russian Society of Appraisers Conference in Moscow,  (b) European Valuers Conference in Warsaw and  (c) International Property Tax Institute Conference in Beijing.

Stephen Timms: A copy of the presentations for  (a) and  (c) will be placed in the Library.
	I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) on 12 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1262W regarding  (b).

Welfare Tax Credits

Graham Allen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the HM Revenue and Customs investigation into the tax credit case of the constituent of the hon. Member for Nottingham North, Mrs. Carmen Angus, to be concluded.

Stephen Timms: I am not able to publish details of an individual's dealings with HMRC.

Welfare Tax Credits

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to publish statistics on the take-up rates for  (a) child and  (b) working tax credit for (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08.

Stephen Timms: The 2006-07 take-up rates for child and working tax credit have been published on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-take-up.htm
	The 2007-08 take-up rates are planned to be published in spring 2010.

Welfare Tax Credits: Eligibility

Graham Allen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has measures in place to give financial assistance to vulnerable families on low incomes pending the outcome of investigations into tax credit eligibility.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs will make manual payments of tax credits in exceptional circumstances to prevent hardship, or where a claimant is temporarily out of payment.
	Related guidance is available on the Department's website at:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/ntcmanual/payment_direct/ntc0403100.htm

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Death: Gamma Butyrolactone

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many death certificates issued in each of the last three years ascribed the primary cause of death to the use of gamma butyrolactone.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated May 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many death certificates issued in each of the last three years ascribed the primary cause of death to the use of gamma butyrolactone. (272886)
	Gamma butyrolactone (GBL) is a precursor chemical that is rapidly converted to gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB) when ingested into the human body. Consequently, it is not possible to provide reliable figures on deaths related to GBL separately from deaths involving GHB, as it is not possible to separately identify these substances at post mortem.
	The table attached provides the number of deaths where the underlying cause was drug poisoning and GHB was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate, either alone or together with other substances, in England and Wales, from 2005 to 2007 (the latest year available). GBL was specifically mentioned on the death certificate in one of these deaths.
	Where more than one drug is mentioned on the death certificate, it is not always possible to tell which of them was primarily responsible for the death.
	
		
			  Table 1. Number of deaths attributed to drug poisoning( 1)  where gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB) was mentioned on the death certificate, England and Wales( 2) , 2005 to 2007( 3) 
			  Deaths 
			   Gamma hydroxybutyrate only  Gamma hydroxybutyrate and other substances  Total mentions of gamma hydroxybutyrate 
			 2005 2 2 4 
			 2006 4 3 7 
			 2007 3 6 9 
			 (1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). Deaths were included where the underlying cause was due to drug poisoning (shown in box 1 below) and where gamma hydroxybutyrate was mentioned on the death certificate. (2) Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents. (3) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. 
		
	
	
		
			  Box 1. International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes used to define drug-related poisoning deaths by underlying cause 
			  Description  ICD-10 
			 Mental and behavioural disorders due to drug use (excluding alcohol and tobacco) F11-F16, F18-F19 
			 Accidental poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances X40-X44 
			 Intentional self-poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances X60-X64 
			 Assault by drugs, medicaments and biological substances X85 
			 Poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances, undetermined intent Y10-Y14

Departmental ICT

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  how much the Cabinet Office has spent on the provision of information communications technology for 10 Downing Street in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how much the Cabinet Office has spent on information communications technology training for staff based in 10 Downing Street in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) is an integral part of the Cabinet Office, and the spending of the PMO on information communication technology (ICT) would be included in that of the Cabinet Office.
	ICT spend and ICT training for the Cabinet Office can be separated into two distinct areas:
	(1) Regular spending on ICT and ICT training for staff. This includes such activities as maintaining hardware and training new staff members in the use of the Cabinet Office systems. The overall spending on ICT during 2007-08 is contained in the 'Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts 2007-2008'. The annual report is available at
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/about_the_cabinet_office/reports.aspx
	and is in the Library. Providing information on regular ICT spend in earlier years can be done only at disproportionate cost.
	(2) Project spending on ICT and ICT training for staff. ICT projects that will require trained staff will include the cost of that training within their budgets. For a list of major ICT projects since 2005 I refer the hon. Member for Mid-Bedfordshire to my response given to the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr. Maude) on 3 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1449W. The costs given include the cost of training where training was necessary. Information on the costs of training alone or on the costs of ICT work between 1997 and 2005 are available only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental ICT

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 3 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1449W, on Government Departments: ICT, which major IT project initiated by his Department is behind schedule; and for what reason.

Tom Watson: The project to upgrade the IT desktop system across the Department is behind schedule. The system is currently in its pilot stage which has been extended until functionality and performance have been proven.

Departmental Manpower

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether the Cabinet Office post of head of public engagement is a new post; whether the post will be part of the Government Communications Network; and what the job specification of the post is.

Tom Watson: The Cabinet Office does not have a head of public engagement nor does it have plans to recruit one.

Departmental Pay

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether staff in 10 Downing Street are eligible for bonus payments.

Tom Watson: The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
	An element of the Cabinet Office's overall pay award is allocated to non-consolidated variable pay related to performance. These payments are used to drive high performance and form part of the pay award for members of staff who demonstrate exceptional performance, for example, by exceeding targets set or meeting challenging objectives.

Government Departments: Temporary Employment

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which provisions of the Government's compact with contractors and trade unions have been implemented.

Tom Watson: Government have been implementing the joint statement on Access to Skills, Trade Unions and Advice in Government Contracting since its launch in July 2008. The implementation of the joint statement is subject to ongoing review by the Public Services Forum.

Ministers: Aviation

Michael Ancram: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what estimate he has made of the tonnage of carbon dioxide emissions from non-scheduled flights undertaken by  (a) the Prime Minister and  (b) other Ministers in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested by the right hon. and learned Member cannot be separately identified by the Cabinet Office. To seek to identify the information requested would require a detailed analysis of the management information provided by the Department's travel contractors. The Department estimates obtaining this information would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold.

Non-profit Making Associations: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the recession on not-for-profit organisations in  (a) Hemel Hempstead and  (b) Hertfordshire.

Kevin Brennan: The Office of the Third Sector (OTS) is working with key partners to understand the impact of the economic downturn on third sector organisations. At present the available evidence is incomplete and somewhat inconsistent, indicating it is too soon since the start of the downturn to fully evaluate the impact on the sector at a national or constituency level.
	The Government continue to take the difficulties many third sector organisations face during this recession very seriously, which is why the 42.5 million package announced in Real help for Communities: Volunteers, Charities and Social Enterprises provides targeted help for the sector to face these challenges. This package of support was designed together with third sector leaders and took into account submissions from over 80 charities. This action plan builds on the wide range of measures the Government have put in place to support people through the economic downturn, and on the Government's long-term commitment to voluntary organisations and social enterprises.
	The OTS will continue to monitor this situation closely and work with its partners to share evidence on this issue and will host a sector-wide summit on the economic downturn in June. In addition, the Third Sector Research Centre will also be factoring the impact of the downturn into its analysis of the sector.

Unemployment

Michael Ancram: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many people aged between 16 and 24 years old have never been employed.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated May 2009:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people aged between 16 and 24 years old have never been employed. (273314)
	For the three month period October to December 2008, it is estimated that 2.2 million people aged 16 to 24 had never been in employment, apart from casual or holiday work.
	The estimate is derived from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) using the latest data available (October-December 2008). As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. In sampling error terms the above estimate is considered to be precise as the coefficient of variation (CV) lies between 0 and 5 per cent. The CV indicates the quality of the estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality.
	The estimate has been derived from the LFS microdata which are weighted using the official population estimates published in autumn 2007. Consequently the estimate is not entirely consistent with the figures published in the monthly Labour Market Statistics First Release, which are weighted using more up-to-date population estimates.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

British Indian Ocean Territory: Environment Protection

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of measures to protect the islands of the British Indian Ocean Territory from the effects of  (a) pollution,  (b) unsustainable fishing,  (c) poaching and  (d) habitat degradation; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
	The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) is recognised by many scientific authorities as a globally important environmental site where pollutant levels in the waters and marine life are exceptionally low. The BIOT Administration is committed to maintaining and preserving the unique BIOT environment and its environmental adviser pays an annual visit to the Territory to assess the environment and report back to the BIOT Commissioner.
	With regards to fishing, BIOT is a member of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission which works for the conservation and sustainable development of tuna and tuna-like species in the region. Those wishing to fish in BIOT waters are subject to the fisheries (conservation and management) laws of the Territory. Laws are enforced by the Fisheries Protection Officer on board the BIOT patrol vessel, the Pacific Marlin, which regularly patrols BIOT waters.

CDC: Finance

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding his Department has allocated to CDC in order to meet the pledge made at the G20 summit to finance the new World Bank Global Trade Liquidity programme; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) is not providing CDC with any financial resources for this purpose.

Conflict Prevention: Finance

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 25 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 17-19WS, on conflict resources 2009-10, what proportion of the new funding arrangements for conflict prevention is classed as Official Development Assistance (ODA); which programmes are eligible for ODA; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The amount of Official Development Assistance (ODA) achievable through the Conflict Fund will be determined by the programmes (Africa, South Asia, Middle East, wider Europe, etc.) and the activities they prioritise for funding. Work is still ongoing to finalise the portfolio of projects under each programme and therefore it is not possible at this stage to say how much will be classed as ODA. All five programmes that make up the Conflict Fund will undertake both ODA and non-ODA eligible projects.

Departmental Air Conditioning

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much has been spent by his Department on carrying out inspections of air conditioning systems within departmental buildings in accordance with the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 since the Regulations came into force.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) has not yet incurred any expenditure on an inspection of air conditioning systems in accordance with these regulations. An inspection of the one DFID building affected has been commissioned but has not yet been completed.

Departmental Air Conditioning

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many of his Department's buildings are equipped with air conditioning systems with output greater than 250kW; how many of these systems have been inspected under the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 since the regulations came into force; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each inspection report.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) has one building, our London Headquarters, with an air conditioning system with greater than 250kW of output. We have obtained a Display Energy Certificate for this building as required, but whilst a specific inspection of the air conditioning system has been commissioned, it has not yet been carried out. We will place a copy of the inspection report in the Library of the House as soon as it is available.

Developing Countries: Influenza

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to assist developing countries in relation to the global swine influenza outbreak; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) has provided 20 million to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA), the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Bank over the last three years to support influenza pandemic preparedness and response capacity.
	As my hon. Friend, (Mr. Michael Foster), announced on 7 May 2009 we have set aside a further 6 million for WHO and UN OCHA in response to the recent outbreak of swine flu.
	We have also instructed DFID's network of country offices to discuss the threat with WHO in-country and to consider how we might help to prevent or respond to any outbreak.
	We are in close touch with inter-Departmental contingency planning and with WHO and UN OCHA.

Kenya: Administration of Justice

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance his Department provides to support the justice system in Kenya; and whether he plans to increase the level of such assistance to take account of the role of the Kenyan authorities in prosecuting piracy suspects.

Ivan Lewis: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not currently provide funding for the Kenyan justice sector, although the UK Government, led by the Ministry of Defence, has provided some bilateral training to Kenyan Government prosecutors in relation to piracy. We are, however, proposing support through the European Commission (EC), using Stability Instrument funds through a large UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) programme.
	The proposed EC assistance would be targeted at the prosecution, police, judicial and prison services, particularly focusing on capacity and logistical shortfalls associated with the trials and detention of piracy suspects. An indicative amount of 1.74 million has been proposed, using the UNODC in Kenya as the implementing partner. We understand that this project is likely to be fully funded by the Commission, which the UK Government very much welcome as appropriate recognition for the efforts being made in Kenya.

Palestinians: Overseas Trade

Ian McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made on trade and investment in the Palestinian territories since the Palestinian Trade and Investment Forum in December 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: Since the London Business Forum on Trade and Investment in Palestine, there have been a number of positive developments. Palestinian Fairtrade olive oil was launched in February this year and is now on sale in UK supermarkets. This will increase sales of Palestinian olive oil, upon which 100,000 Palestinian families depend for their livelihoods.
	The Palestine Britain Business Council has also been established, with the purpose of promoting and facilitating bilateral trade and investment in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. It will hold its next meeting in Ramallah later this month.
	UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) is working closely with a range of private sector stakeholders on the follow-up to the London Business Forum and will be supporting both tourism and construction scoping missions to the West Bank over the summer. These will aim to map opportunities in the two sectors and bring them to the attention of British business.

Trade Unions

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 12 March 2009,  Official Report, column 694W, on trade unions, what office facilities his Department provides for the exclusive use of each recognised trade union; and what the notional monetary value of such provision was in 2008-09.

Ivan Lewis: An office in each our two main UK buildings is provided for the exclusive use of trades unions. The notional annual value of these rooms, in terms of rent and rates, is 6,600 for 2009-10.

USA

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which meetings he attended on his recent visit to New York; what the subject of each meeting was; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: Details of Ministers' travel are published annually in the Cabinet Office publication Overseas Travel by Ministers. The most recent version is available in the Library of the House and online at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/cabinetoffice/propriety_and_ethics/assets/travel_2007_2008.pdf

World Bank

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding his Department proposes to allocate to the World Bank as a result of the recent G20 agreement; what proportion of such funding is new money; and from which budgets such allocations will be made.

Douglas Alexander: Countries represented at the 2 April London Summit agreed that they would make resources available for protecting the poor though the crisis, including through the World Bank's Rapid Social Response Fund. On 15 March I announced that my Department would give 200 million in support of the Fund. Resources to fund this contribution will be managed within agreed Treasury departmental allocations.

Zimbabwe: Asylum

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the number of Zimbabwean refugees in South Africa  (a) in each of the last five years and  (b) at the latest date for which figures are available.

Ivan Lewis: There are no accurate data on the numbers of Zimbabwean migrants in South Africa. The majority of Zimbabweans have crossed the border into South Africa informally and are thus largely 'invisible' in statistics. Human Rights Watch estimated in 2008 that since 2005 an estimated one to 1.5 million Zimbabweans have fled across the border into South Africa. Of these, the minority have lodged an asylum claim and an even smaller number have received refugee status.
	The following table published on 8 March 2009 by the South Africa Department of Home Affairs show the number of Zimbabweans who have applied for political asylum in South Africa since 2000, as well as those granted and refused refugee status.
	
		
			   New applications (asylum seekers)  Approvals (refugee status approved)  Rejections 
			 2000 8   
			 2001 31 7  
			 2002 225 2  
			 2003 3,711 2 18 
			 2004 6,206 22 25 
			 2005 9,419 284 4 
			 2006 18,973 103 1,878 
			 2007 17,667 271 1,623 
			 2008 111,968 Unknown Unknown 
			 
			 Total 168,208

Zimbabwe: Asylum

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much humanitarian assistance has been given to support Zimbabwean refugees in South Africa in each of the last five years.

Ivan Lewis: In 2008 the Department for International Development (DFID) has provided 690,000 of humanitarian assistance to 10,000 vulnerable migrants and children living in Musina (Limpopo Province) close to the South African and Zimbabwean border; and approximately 40,500 vulnerable migrants who have been displaced due to xenophobic attacks in June 2008 in the Guateng, Kwazulu Natal and Western Cape provinces. While the majority of these vulnerable migrants are Zimbabwean, there are also nationals from other countries (i.e. Angola and Congo) who live in the same areas. Some of these vulnerable migrants may have refugee status, but our humanitarian programmes do not record this data. We are providing a further 738,000 to these groups in the current year. We had no humanitarian spend in South Africa between 2004 and 2007.